I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

Mizuki-sensei’s desk, our class’s assistant homeroom teacher, was right in front as soon as you entered the faculty room.

Usually, desks near the entrance are considered the worst spot because of the draft, but it seemed she’d been assigned that seat since she was a new teacher this year.
“Hello, Sensei.”
“Ah, welcome.”

Since it was career counseling, Sensei probably wanted to meet my eyes, so she lifted her head—but being not very tall and seated in a chair, she tilted her neck back so far it looked like she might tip over with the chair. I quickly sat down.
Only then did Mizuki-sensei’s neck return to a normal angle.
I scooted my chair back a bit so she could see me more easily and said:

“Sensei, now that we’re at eye level, I think you can speak comfortably.”
“Th-then! J-just a moment…”
Flustered by my words, Sensei hastily opened the student record binder propped beside her desk.

“There’s no need to rush.”
“I—I’m not nervous or anything, okay?!”
Panicking, Mizuki-sensei shouted as she flipped back and forth through the binder, finally stopping on the page with my photo.

“Whew… let’s see. Japanese—A, Math—A, English—A, PE—A…”
As she went through the subjects one by one, she closed the binder as if there was no need to continue and asked:
“Kim-kun, what’s your dream for the future?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, I scratched the back of my neck and replied:
“I’m not sure yet. So if I don’t find anything, I might just take over my parents’ business.”
At that, Mizuki-sensei’s eyes grew wide.

“U-um, if you don’t mind me asking, what do your parents do?”
“They run a small set menu restaurant in Setagaya.”
“Your parents run a set menu restaurant?”
“Yes. Is there a problem with that?”

“N-no, not at all. I’d love to visit someday.”
Though she’d seemed nervous at first, as our conversation went on, Mizuki-sensei’s expression gradually relaxed.
It seemed the tension from doing her first career counseling session was starting to ease.

“Then Kim-kun, what subject are you most confident in?”
“If I had to pick, probably math or science. Language arts is tough because there’s a lot of advanced vocabulary—I always barely scrape by.”
Hearing my answer, Sensei scribbled something into her notebook while murmuring to herself.

“Mm, mm, math and science. Then maybe a STEM department would be good for Kim-kun?”
At those words, which I couldn’t ignore, I unconsciously stiffened.
“No. That’s not it.”

“Eh?”
“Choosing a career based solely on what subjects you’re good at—I think that’s a careless attitude. I want to do what I want to do.”
If nothing else, I absolutely couldn’t go into engineering in this life. Anything but engineering.

Hearing my firm rejection, Sensei looked surprised, her expression like a startled rabbit. But in my current PTSD-triggered state, there was nothing I could do.
“R-right… you’re right. That was careless of me. Being good at something and liking it aren’t always the same.”
She laughed awkwardly and closed her notebook, then placed her hands on her knees with a serious expression and said:

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t originally want to be a teacher either.”
It was an unexpectedly interesting story, and I found myself listening closely without realizing.
“Then what job did you want to have originally?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing, so… don’t laugh, okay?”
“Yes, I won’t laugh.”
Sensei let out a soft exhale, inhaled again, and then spoke in a tiny voice like an ant crawling into her throat.

“Actually, I wanted to become a voice actress. Uhm… I really liked this male character from a robot anime I saw on TV when I was in middle school…”
“Ah…”
I had a pretty good idea of what she meant.

“A-anyway! When I brought that up during career counseling, my homeroom teacher said this: ‘Mizuki, you can always pursue hobbies later. For now, wouldn’t it be better to aim for ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) a stable career?’ That was the advice. I mean, it’s a bit awkward for me to say this, but I was a top student back in high school. I guess my homeroom teacher thought it’d be a waste of my grades.”
I could clearly understand now why Mizuki-sensei had suddenly brought this up.
It was exactly the same situation I was in now.

“Back then, I thought it was natural to follow my homeroom teacher’s advice. But after I entered university based on my grades, I quickly regretted it. No one else lives my life for me, but I let one person’s advice decide my future far too easily.”
Then, looking me straight in the eyes, Mizuki-sensei spoke in a calm voice:
“So Kim-kun, please think carefully about what you want to be in the future and decide for yourself. That’s not a teacher’s advice—it’s advice from someone who’s been there.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”
If I counted my age before being possessed, I’d be about two years older than her, but emotionally, I really resonated with what she said.
If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t have gone to grad school—I’d have gotten a job right away or opened a fried chicken shop.

As the conversation ended and a strange silence followed, Sensei awkwardly scratched the back of her head and said:
“Sorry. I talked too much, didn’t I? I just started reminiscing as we talked…”
“No, personally it helped quite a bit.”

Just like what I’d told Rika earlier, it gave me a chance to think once more about the vague idea of the future I’d been carrying.
I still didn’t know what I wanted to do or what I wanted to become, but I was certain I’d find the answer before graduation.
Just before leaving the faculty room, I decided to ask one last thing.

“Sensei, do you like your current job?”
If this was a job she’d been pushed into by someone else, I figured she probably wouldn’t enjoy it much.
But Mizuki-sensei nodded without the slightest hesitation.

“Mm. I really do like my job now. There’s a strange sense of fulfillment when I’m teaching students.”
Clatter—
Having heard the answer I wanted, I stood up from my chair.

And when Sensei, startled, also stood up from her seat, I bowed slightly and said:
“Then, I’ll head off to club activities.”
“Alright, take care.”

Mizuki-sensei waved with a gentle smile.
She would surely become a great teacher someday.
***

Mizuki Nanae realized she had been completely misunderstanding things when she heard about Kim Yu-seong’s parents.
“Kim-kun, what’s your dream for the future?”
“I’m not sure yet. So if I don’t find anything, I might just take over my parents’ business.”

The moment he mentioned that, Mizuki instinctively thought of a yakuza family.
It was probably the combination of the wild rumors that had been going around school and her own assumptions based on his appearance.
So without realizing, Mizuki asked in a shaky voice:

“U-um, if you don’t mind me asking, what do your parents do?”
Kim Yu-seong closed his eyes for a moment, then calmly replied:
“They run a small set menu restaurant in Setagaya.”

At that moment, Mizuki felt like she’d been smacked on the back of the head.
“Your parents run a set menu restaurant?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“N-no, not at all. I’d love to visit sometime.”
She felt like an idiot.
If she’d just thought about it a little, she’d have realized the rumors about Kim Yu-seong were completely absurd.

He wasn’t some kind of delinquent like she’d imagined.
If anything, he was a filial son who proudly spoke of his parents, who were running a small restaurant day and night.
She had simply been afraid based on her own assumptions.

Once that simple misunderstanding was cleared up, Mizuki was able to continue the session with a smile.
His huge frame and expressionless face still felt intimidating, but not nearly as scary as before.
The only time the counseling came to a halt was when they discussed university plans.

“No. That’s not it.”
When she’d carelessly suggested a STEM major, Kim Yu-seong had firmly refused.
“Choosing a career based on what you’re good at is careless. I want to do what I want to do.”

At those words, Mizuki was reminded of her own past.
Around seven years ago, when she was still 17, her homeroom teacher had said:
‘Mizuki, you can always pursue hobbies later. For now, wouldn’t it be better to aim for a stable career?’

Looking back, it was advice anyone could give, but also completely irresponsible.
If she were the teacher in that moment, she never would’ve said something like that.
She’d have told her student to at least try to pursue their dream. That they’d regret it if they gave up without even trying.

She wanted to pass that feeling on to Kim Yu-seong.
That’s why she’d ended up rambling on and on about her past, but Kim Yu-seong listened attentively from beginning to end.
After all was said and done, she was hit by a wave of embarrassment.

Trying to mix in her own experiences, she’d said more than she needed to.
“Sorry. I talked too much, didn’t I? I just started reminiscing…”
“No, personally it helped quite a bit.”

Kim Yu-seong said that and nodded.
When she reassured him he could go back now, he stood up and, just before leaving, asked her one thing:
“Sensei, do you like your current job?”

She answered instantly, without hesitation.
“Mm. I really do like my job now. There’s a strange sense of fulfillment when I’m teaching students.”
Satisfied, Kim Yu-seong gave a nod and left the faculty room after offering a polite farewell.

Left alone after her final session, Mizuki looked down at the spot where he had sat and made a firm resolution.
That from now on, she would never judge a student by appearances again.