Hawks from the Land of Light are calling me a dove and an undercover agent in the chat group.

Mrs. Higashi's realization came suddenly. Higashi Naoki, who was being hugged by her, didn't even have time to react. Even Yato Takeshi, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.

However, although he didn't realize what was going on, being apologized to by his mother for the first time made all the grievances, inferiority complexes, and injustices he had felt since childhood suddenly turn into a torrent of tears, which flowed from his eyes and he cried loudly.

They were all sobbing and crying uncontrollably.

Ya turned around abruptly, boiled some warm water, and poured two cups.

After the mother and son hugged for at least seven or eight minutes, during which they spoke to each other intermittently and in broken sentences, she gently patted their backs to help them catch their breath and then handed them two glasses of water.

Mrs. Dong drank some water, then hurriedly pulled her second son to the table and pushed him toward the pancakes: "Eat up, eat up! If you want to eat them again, Mom will make them for you again!"

"Is it really okay?" Higashi Naoki looked up, glancing at his mother and then at Yato Takeshi-sensei.

Both adults nodded firmly at him.

Still feeling somewhat inferior, Higashi Naoki picked up his knife and fork, swallowed hard, carefully cut off a small piece, and put the delicious-looking pancake into his mouth.

"How about it?"

"Ugh...it tastes awful!"

The thing I've always wanted but never had turns out to be awful.

Naoki Higashi, who had given the food a terrible review, burst into laughter after tears. Mrs. Higashi and Takeshi Yagami were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other and also burst into laughter.

Finally, the pancakes and cakes that night were barely finished by the three of them, plus Jun who had returned.

Volume 1: Chapter 498. Earthquake Approaching, Cultural Festival Opens

498. Earthquake Approaching, Cultural Festival Opens

The pancakes were truly awful, not just an adjective.

That evening, Higashi Naoki's older brother, Jun, saw that his younger brother and mother had personally tasted the stuff before he dared to tell the truth for the first time: although his mother was a very good cook, her pancakes were really awful.

Every time he was rewarded with this, it was only because he felt that if he said it tasted bad and refused to eat it, it would make his mother sad. Also, when he was a child, he never dared to disobey his extremely domineering mother, so he always forced himself to eat it.

Fortunately, starting today, he no longer needs to eat that pancake cake.

Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!

Junya's reaction amused Yashiro.

However, it was indeed a bit upsetting for Mrs. Dong. Her eldest son didn't dare to say anything even though the pancakes were absolutely awful. This alone shows that she was very distant from her two sons emotionally.

However, he continued to be complacent and self-satisfied.

If it weren't for Takeshi Yagami pointing out her mistakes, perhaps it wouldn't have been until she was old and on her deathbed that her two sons would have dared to point out her various faults for the first time, leaving her with unfulfilled regrets in death. That would have been truly terrifying.

Using the excuse of needing to wash the dishes, Mrs. Dong winked at Mr. Ya, imploring him to come to the kitchen to have a private conversation so that her sons wouldn't overhear.

Having understood the implication, Ya coughed loudly, pretended to get up and said he was going to the bathroom. Then, while the two children weren't paying attention, he secretly slipped into the kitchen and closed the soundproof door.

Mrs. Dong wiped away her emotional tears in the kitchen and bowed deeply to him. "Please guide me, Mr. Ya. I want to become a mother whom both my children respect and love even more!"

There are many things that East Asian parents would never say to their children, even if they thought them, until they die.

Mrs. Dong felt that such words were too mushy, and she also felt that it would be embarrassing for her children to hear them, so she came here to whisper to each other.

"Ask me?" Yato pointed to himself, both amused and exasperated. "That's a problem, I've never been a parent either."

"How could this be..." Mrs. Dong's expression turned dejected.

Seeing that Mrs. Dong was eager to make a change, Takeshi Ya thought for a moment and said, "However, I can introduce you to a few parents, is that alright? They have a very good relationship with their children, and I really admire those two parents."

"Please be sure!"

Both sides quickly reached an agreement on the matter of introducing Ishida's mother and Nishimiya's mother.

Ya no Takeshi thought this was a very good thing.

East Asian parenting styles like Mrs. Dong's are very awkward and stubborn.

Tonight was indeed quite moving, but if no one continues to monitor things, it's highly likely that things will gradually and quickly revert to the old habits of using guilt-based and repressive education.

If he were there, and with Mrs. Nishimiya and Mrs. Ishida exchanging ideas and helping each other, subtly and continuously correcting things, then we could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Well, it's not late, I should head back now."

Emerging from the kitchen, Takeshi Yato was no longer serious, displaying the same pleasant smile as before, and even greeted the two children of the employer.

Higashi Naoki chased after him from the living room and grabbed Yato Takeshi's sleeve: "Ah, wait, teacher!"

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Yato Takeshi asked, looking puzzled.

"Um, this..." Naoki Higashi adjusted his glasses and took a deep breath. "Teacher, is there anything you'd like me to do?"

"The task I assigned to you?"

Ya's first look was one of confusion, then he tilted his head and suddenly understood.

Although his mother opened up and he cried, which relieved a lot of his grievances and pressure, the inferiority complex and uncertainty that had accumulated over time still lingered in Higashi Naoki's heart.

In the past, he knew he was insecure, that he had a lot of uncertainty and a sense of unworthiness, but even knowing this, he was so insecure that he didn't dare to try to get rid of these negative thoughts.

He still feels inferior.

But for the first time, he dared to stand up and hoped to get a mission from the teacher who had rescued him from his mother's clutches, a mission he could accomplish.

He needs to be asked to do something, to complete the task asked of him, and to receive praise. Only in that way can he gradually overcome the inferiority complex that has accumulated over the years. He wants that. He wants to become a better version of himself, one who is no longer insecure!

"Really... I understand. That's perfect, I do have two things I need your help with."

Yashiro squatted down, looked at the resolute-looking Higashi Naoki, reached out and touched his black hair, and solemnly declared that this was not child's play, but a truly effective and necessary task:

"Regarding the home visits to other students, I want to understand everyone's difficulties first. If Naoki can get along with everyone, become friends, and understand everyone's hardships, then it will be much better for me to take action. Can you do that, Naoki, class president?"

"Yes, mission accomplished!"

Naoki Higashi's face was incredibly resolute. He saluted, standing as straight and tall as a towering tree. "Then, the other one?"

Yashiro slowly uttered three words: "Cultural Festival".

"Eh, a cultural festival?" Naoki Higashi's resolute face suddenly lit up with the joy and excitement of a child.

In Japan, from elementary school to university, regardless of grade level, there is a festival called the Cultural Festival that takes place in schools every year. It usually lasts for three days and is the most anticipated and joyful time for children.

Students will open shops, host haunted houses, and organize various creative and free-spirited programs and activities such as sports competitions, riddle games, and cosplay on campus. Many parents will also visit the school.

Yagi took the time to find out about the school festival dates for Shoko's elementary school and Shizuka's elementary school. The two schools' school festivals are held around the same time, and the two schools are also quite close to each other.

It will take a month and a half.

As a teacher at two schools, Takeshi Yagami had a thought in his mind ever since he became a teacher at Shizuka Kuze's school: he didn't want to neglect one school for the other, and he didn't want the children to feel that he was showing favoritism to students from either school.

So, his initial plan was to travel back and forth between the two places when the cultural festival was held, spending a day and a half here and a day and a half there.

But things have recently changed.

Two days ago, the principal of Sakuraoka Elementary School complained to Takeshi Yato because he had reported all the teachers in Shizuka Kuze's class, which affected the school's reputation and even threatened his position as principal. He hoped that Takeshi Yato, as the culprit, could come up with a solution.

What the principal didn't know was that Ya Demeng had already discovered that the principal wasn't clean either, so he happened to submit a report against the principal that day.

So the principal definitely can't stay in this position anymore; a new principal will probably be transferred in about a month.

However, a principal can die, but a primary school should not be shaken. In the end, a school is an inanimate object; it is the teachers and students who give it meaning and determine its quality.

Since the unqualified teachers and principal have been purged, the revitalized Sakuraoka Elementary School should not be affected by these parasites and continue to tarnish the school's reputation.

Therefore, Takeshi Ya made a suggestion that he would act as a go-between and have the two elementary schools he was in charge of jointly host this year's cultural festival as sister schools.

An unprecedentedly lively cultural festival brought the two schools together.

In this way, even if he leaves for some special reason in the future, the two schools will be in a relationship of mutual benefit and loss, so if one school starts bullying again, the other school may step in to stop it.

As for where the first cultural festival will be held, that will be decided by a fair and impartial lottery.

Regarding this proposal, the senior management of both schools tends to agree. In an era where the birth rate is starting to decline and competition for students is fierce, pairing up the two primary schools is a good way to enhance their reputation and will definitely attract many new students.

The two sides hit it off immediately and made the decision. As for the person in charge and the person in charge, it was naturally Shi Meng.

Ya no Takeshi originally intended to wait a month before announcing the news, but now it seems that letting the students know sooner is not a bad choice.

He immediately gave a brief explanation of the matter to Higashi Naoki.

"Two schools together?" Higashi Naoki's eyes lit up with excitement. Even a top student like him was still a primary school student, so how could he not be excited about such a grand event?

“Yes,” Ya nodded vigorously. “This is my first time participating in a school festival, and I don’t know anything about it, so I want to get everyone’s opinions. Could you help me with this and help me find out what programs and activities everyone wants?”

"I'll help!"

Higashi Naoki shouted with boundless joy, his excitement making him tremble. He was determined to do it, he was sure he could do it, he was sure he could do it!

Ya gave a bright and cheerful laugh and wanted to praise the child.

Unfortunately, at that moment, there was a sudden rumble and abrupt shaking, which was quite noticeable.

"careful!"

Ya no Takeshi was the first to pick up Higashi Naoki, who hadn't yet realized what was happening, and quickly ran to an open space on the street. Then he turned around and ran back to the Higashi family's house, hurriedly opened the door, and shouted for Mrs. Higashi and Jun to go out and take refuge.

However, less than ten seconds after Mrs. Dong and Run were called out in shock, the sudden tremor immediately disappeared and stopped.

"There have been so many earthquakes lately, it's so annoying!"

"Yeah, yeah, I don't even know if it was a real earthquake. Every time I ran out, it was gone again. It's so funny, really!"

"But you don't dare to bet on whether the next earthquake will be one of those crazy earthquakes or one of those normal earthquakes. Ugh, it's so annoying!"

Some neighbors who had also quickly run out were complaining in twos and threes about the strange earthquakes that had started to occur and become more frequent since the two unknown meteorites fell.

"Mrs. Dong, are these earthquakes unique to this area?"

"No way, I watch the news every day. It seems like it's appeared in places like Osaka and Kyushu. Oh, and this morning's news said it's appeared in other countries too. That's really strange."

When confronted with a barrage of questions, Mrs. Dong recalled for a moment and said with certainty, "However, although it is a bit troublesome, fortunately, these kinds of earthquakes don't cause any serious damage. Each one only lasts for about ten seconds, and you'll get used to it."

If it's just a minor earthquake that lasts for a few seconds and doesn't cause any harm to people or damage to buildings, then you really get used to it.

But things are probably not that simple.

Yashiro shook his head slightly, but he was now unable to trace the truth behind these changes.

"Is that so...then I'll take my leave now, Mrs. Dong, please be careful."

Unable to do anything for the time being, Yato Takeshi said goodbye, then winked at Higashi Naoki, indicating the little secret between the two of them. The latter also winked back with delight.