Chapter 256: Becoming a Teacher
Tolle and Kudelia happened to meet Mikazuki and Atra in the corridor—they were on their way to help distribute lunch.
Because Kudelia insisted strongly, the four of them ended up delivering lunch together throughout the battleship.
When they reached the last stop, the hangar, Mikazuki looked at Barbatos Lupus being fine-tuned and asked Nadi, "Old man, need help?"
"Mm, not right now. Just small adjustments. And since you can't read, I'll call you when the job requires muscle."
Having never gone to school, Mikazuki lowered his gaze and replied quietly, "Alright. Got it."
Kudelia watched him curiously and asked, "Mikazuki, you can't read? But you can pilot such a complex machine—how?"
Expressionless as always, Mikazuki explained, "This thing has nothing to do with reading. It feels pretty similar to piloting a Mobile Worker. Once the Alaya-Vijnana System connects, the rest is just instinct… intuition."
Kudelia blinked in disbelief. "Huh!? Just instinct?"
"Is it really that surprising?"
Seeing Kudelia on the verge of turning into a teacher, Tolle could already imagine more late-night group activities being added to their schedule.
He held back a laugh and explained, "Kudelia, most of these boys came from poor families and became unregistered soldiers. Their families couldn't afford schooling.
They had to work from a young age just to survive. So being illiterate is normal around here. Ask Mikazuki."
Kudelia listened, then turned to Mikazuki. "Mikazuki… did you ever go to school?"
Mikazuki shook his head. "No. Just like Mr. Monty Hill said—probably no one in Tekkadan has."
Nadi added with a tired nod, "Yeah. People who end up here usually come from households barely feeding themselves. School isn't even an option.
Only kids who were lucky enough to stay in a decent orphanage might've learned a little."
Only now did Kudelia grasp how harsh their lives had been. She whispered, "So that's how it is… that's truly heartbreaking…"
Atra finished her last delivery and jogged over. "Everyone, lunch is all handed out!"
Mikazuki looked at her thoughtfully. "Atra… you can read, right?"
"Mm. My grandmother taught me."
Kudelia suddenly had an idea. She looked at Mikazuki and said gently, "Mikazuki… if you don't mind, would you like to learn reading and writing? I could teach you.
And once you learn, it'll definitely help you. Reading books, writing letters… maybe even writing stories someday. Your world will become much bigger."
Mikazuki paused, slightly intrigued. "Yeah… if I could do that, I could understand a lot more, right?"
Kudelia's eyes lit up. "Exactly!"
"Then… okay. I'll give it a try."
Tolle immediately felt a strong crisis—if this continued, things were headed dangerously close to him getting NTR'd.
No way could he allow Kudelia, Mikazuki, and Atra to study alone together. With him here, the other boys wouldn't crowd around the way they originally would have.
He had to intervene—fast.
A sudden idea hit him, and he loudly declared, "Kudelia, why don't you become the teacher on the Fishing Fire for a while?
During their rest time, whoever wants to learn can gather together, and you teach them reading and writing. How does that sound?"
Then he turned to Takaki and the nearby boys. "Takaki, Yamagi, Ride—want to learn with Mikazuki?"
The moment Takaki heard there was a chance to learn—and with Mikazuki—he practically sprinted over. "Really!? I've always wanted to read and write! We can learn together?"
Ride, Yamagi, and the other boys rushed forward as well, loudly declaring they wanted to join.
One boy even called out excitedly, "Teacher Kudelia! Please teach us too!"
Hearing the word "teacher," Kudelia froze, cheeks red. "T-Teacher? I… can I really do it?"
Tolle gently patted her back and said softly, "Kudelia, didn't we just talk about this? You've finally found your role.
You'll be the Fishing Fire's teacher. Your job is teaching anyone who wants to learn."
Kudelia looked up at him, eyes full of affection, then nodded firmly. "Okay, Tolle. I'll work hard—I'll be a good teacher."
Then she turned to everyone and announced with bright determination:
"Alright—if no one minds, then let's all learn together!"
Cheers and excited shouts filled the hangar.
Atra, watching Mikazuki's decision, stepped forward. "You're all amazing! Alright—then I'll teach too! If you have questions, just ask me anytime!"
But one younger boy, noticing she was the same height as him, frowned and said bluntly,
"Atra? …I still prefer Teacher Kudelia."
Atra puffed her cheeks in outrage. "Wait—what's that supposed to mean!?"
The others began teasing, chanting that they wanted Kudelia as their teacher and not Atra.
After all the laughter and noise settled, everyone gathered in the cafeteria, holding tablet screens, using their fingers to practice writing for the first time.