Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

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But I've never seen you before. Or are you not my teacher in this grade?

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Um, shall we go see the kitten?

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I don't really understand what this means, and I don't really like cats or dogs. But... whatever, fine, whatever, you say go ahead, I don't have anything else to do anyway.

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Okay, let's go then, teacher.

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【teacher】

The teacher who called himself a teacher, the one who took him to see the cats.

The teacher who led him to the playground on a rainy day and found Nyanna, who was on the verge of death after being abused.

He hadn't really wanted to bother with the kitten that was still bleeding, but the little guy was still struggling and hadn't died. And, well, watching the little thing writhing in the rain made him feel really bad. Oh well, he didn't have much to do anyway, so he might as well give himself a little trouble.

The process of saving that little kitten was quite complicated. It had fractures, blood loss, and was also suffering from hypothermia. To make matters worse, it was a kitten that had been separated from its mother and was still nursing. No matter how you looked at it, the chances of survival seemed slim.

He had initially thought the creature was surely dead, but to his surprise, after struggling for a while, it actually recovered and was running and jumping again. Although it had a limp and was left with a wound that would never heal, it still lived happily. Every time it saw him, it would meow and wag its tail as it ran over, rubbing against his outstretched hand. It was as if it had completely forgotten about being tortured to the point of almost dying, and couldn't remember it at all.

It seems like the pain in my body has lessened slightly.

I can no longer feel that inexplicable fatigue that used to weigh me down all the time.

Although I managed to get some goat milk powder and a warming mat, this little guy will still need to eat meat when he gets a bit older, right? Or should I try to steal some cat food? It seems like a lot of trouble. I don't really want to do anything sneaky, but I don't have much money. It seems that raising a pet really takes a lot of energy.

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Ah, am I laughing?

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Am I happy? No, I'm not happy. I'm just thinking about how to take care of this little guy in the future, since I don't have much experience raising cats.

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You mean I'm thinking about the future now, considering what's to come?

This is really the case.

So this is what it feels like to "think about the future"?

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No, it's not good at all.

All I can feel is endless trouble. Money, time, energy—this feeling of calculating the gains and losses in all aspects, thinking about what I need to give up, what I can get, and what the possible consequences might be, is really quite troublesome.

But this little thing is with me now. If I don't take care of it, it will probably die soon.

I'm like an abandoned child myself. If I abandon it now, wouldn't I be no different from that scoundrel? What, you call this "responsibility"? Uh, this feels even more complicated. So all this talk about the future and responsibility is just something to add burdens...

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Well, I'll think of a way. As long as I put in the effort, I should be able to manage. I'm not so destitute that I can't even support a cat. Yes, I can do it.

Forget it, don't kid me. You don't even have a body, you're just a ghost. What can you do? You're lucky if you don't cause trouble.

But thank you anyway, teacher. Without you, I probably would never have become like this. I might have ended my life somewhere, or become a rotten-brained mess.

Yes, that's the truth.

Don't make such a fuss. I'm not the kind of person who only knows how to spread negativity. I do know right from wrong.

Yes, you are the first person I have ever met who is genuinely kind to me, willing to understand me, help me, and guide me.

So this sentence truly reflects my feelings.

thank you.

teacher.

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It felt like a long dream.

I see those children again and again in my dreams.

At the very beginning, I was ignorant and could only watch them cry and despair.

Gradually, I came to understand their experiences, their thoughts, and their misfortunes.

Then, there is a feeling of helplessness.

Because I am nothing, because I have nothing.

It doesn't even have a hand that can be extended; it is fundamentally nothingness, something that is not even as good as a shadow.

No, maybe you really can do it.

Because you do indeed possess human characteristics, and as an existence formed by combining elements of ghost stories and humanity, you should rightfully possess a human aspect.

Empathy is something ingrained in our genes, something in our instincts. Like our inherent cruelty, it's an integral part of human existence.

So you can do whatever you want, go ahead, do it, show us!

Let's take a good look at what you really are and what you can become.

In the darkness, someone is watching me.

Unlike them, who were always crying and always sad, this person seemed to have no emotions whatsoever, only cruelty and terror.

However, I rarely see them. These people are always mysterious, and I can never find any trace of them. Yet, I seem to sense their presence everywhere. Even when I can't see a single person, I inexplicably feel that they are nearby.

So, what should I do?

I've only been watching all of this happen all along.

It's just watching the same thing happen over and over again.

However, I always feel that seeing someone hide away and cry after being bullied is very distressing and uncomfortable.

Can you please stop crying?

Stop crying, give me a smile. Like, the expression where you turn up the corners of your mouth and slightly bend your eyebrows.

Although I don't quite understand what it means, I think that expression is quite cute.

Are you... a teacher?

Ah, you can hear my voice, you can see me.

Do you call me teacher?

Oh, I see. Those people were the teachers.

I don't really understand either, but if you want to call me that, then call me teacher.

Although I can't teach classes and don't know how to guide students' growth, if I were a "teacher," I would like to try to see if I can take on that role.

Then, can you tell me how I can help you?

If there's anything I can do.

Please feel free to ask me for help.

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【teacher】

【teacher】

I'm calling you, teacher.

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Although I am truly grateful to you, teacher, after all, you have taught me a lot, and without your help, I could not have grown into who I am today.

But what about you, teacher?

I wouldn't presume to say I'm particularly mature or insightful, but teacher, you clearly have something on your mind, don't you?

[Especially when people in class talk about ghost stories, like the one about the girl buried in the ground, you seem particularly emotionally unstable. Could it be that you actually know the person they're talking about?]

[There's no use trying to hide it. Since I asked, I must have really figured it out. Besides, who else can you tell if you don't tell me? In this school, besides me, who else can see you and talk to you?]

Still won't tell me? Fine, whatever, forget I asked.

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Teacher, what is your wish?

It's nothing, I just wanted to know if there's anything I can do for my teacher.

"Ah, no wishes? What kind of answer is that? You keep saying you want to think about the future, but are you really just a boring guy who doesn't even have any wishes?"

You ask me what my wishes are? I don't have any. Well, that's right, I'm just bored, I'm just taking it one day at a time.

【But teacher, if you have any wishes, I can try my best. Anyway, I don't have much to do all day. Even if I take care of little Nai Nai, it's just playing with her and feeding her every day, which doesn't take up much time.】

"Really not? Ha, I don't believe you. You're such a terrible liar."

[What if I said I wanted to help others? What if I said I intended to help those who were bullied in this school? Like you said, this school is very abnormal, isn't it? Besides me, there are other students being bullied, and many of them neither know how to fight back nor how to run away.]

You ask me if this is my wish?

What, are you having doubts? Then whose wish do you think this is?