Chapter 26 First Friend

"But I'm not a ghost..."

"The ghosts in the movie said so too!"

Emily exclaimed quickly with excitement while holding her pinky outstretched towards me.

"*sigh* Promise..." I muttered, stretching my finger towards her, forming a hook between the two fingers.

It's the first time in my two lives that I've ever done something like that.

Besides...

I just wanted to be sarcastic.

How did my words end up with a girl thinking she talks to ghosts?

"Hehe~ I have a ghost friend" Emily whispered excitedly, as she turned her gaze every which way.

"You're weird...but I like you!"

"I like you too my ghost friend!"

Smiled Emily happily, starting to eat her food with delight.

Sigh

You'll have a lot of difficulties girls, I just hope you don't lose that smile.

Come to think of it...

Isn't she my first friend?

"Emily What grade are you in?"

"In number 3" Smiled Emily proudly, as she held up her little hand with 4 fingers extended.

"Why are you holding up 4 fingers if you're in 3rd grade?"

"Isn't this number 3?"

Emily asked quizzically, as she looked at her fingers in confusion.

"You have 4 fingers up, if you put one down it would turn into the number 3 didn't you know that?"

"Oh... I don't know how to count" Emily whispered awkwardly.

"..."

"I can't read either..."

"..."

"..."

"Haven't you learned anything in all you've been here?"

"It's very boring... besides, the teacher yells at me a lot and everyone laughs at me..."

"And your dad doesn't teach you?"

"He doesn't know either..."

"..."

"Will you stop being my friend too?"

Emily asked with teary eyes, as her little body trembled slightly.

This little girl...

reminds me of my otherworldly self, where I was just a stupid kid.

Those shitty teachers just ridiculed me because I couldn't read at the age of 10...

But what could I do?

I grew up in the most useless orphanage, I couldn't change that.

I was not even sent to school...

"I won't let me be your friend... Do you want me to teach you how to read and write? I'm very smart!"

With obvious excitement, Emily put down her food and exclaimed "Really!!!?"

"Yes, it's not very hard Would you like me to teach you?"

"Mn!" Nodded Emily quickly, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Then I can teach you during free times... but let me see if I can get you out of class, I don't think it'll do you much good for now."

"Thanks, buddy!" Smiled Emily happily, as she turned to continue eating.

I'd have to talk to the headmistress, I have nothing to learn in school...

I might as well spend my time teaching this girl.

"Let's meet in the library when your next class is over..."

"Mn!"

Then I should go talk to the principal and see if I can skip class. I don't want to be wasting my time on something I already know anyway.

"Can you walk through walls?"

Sigh...

How incredulous can a little girl be?

"No... I guess that's for adult ghosts"

"Too bad... But don't worry, I'm confident you'll be able to walk through walls eventually!"

Sigh

---

*knock* *knock*

"Go ahead!"

Here I go...

"Good afternoon headmistress" I smiled brightly at the older woman at the desk "Pretty nice weather don't you think?"

"The heat is killing me, but tell me... What do you want?" She narrowed her eyes at me, getting an uncomfortable smile to form on my face.

With the same awkward smile, I walk over to the desk and sit down in the chair across from her, as I set my backpack aside.

After we finished eating, Emily went to her classes while I came straight here. It took me a while to get the girl to stop asking stupid questions, but after I assured her that I would be her friend, she let me go.

"I'm here to talk about a matter of utmost importance... something very vital to the future of a great student at this school"

"... You're a strange boy" shook her head the principal, as a smile spread across her face "But tell me what's so vital?"

"It's like this..."

I went on for 5 minutes telling the headmistress about the strange girl who can't read, causing her eyebrows to stretch to their highest point.

"So she ended up thinking I was a ghost, plus we agreed that I would teach her to read and write"

"Emily of third grade... she must be Emily Allen, she's the only girl that comes to mind with the traits you described"

"..."

"It's odd that she doesn't know how to read at that age, but it's also not something that never happens..."

"I know... but at this rate she's never going to learn, apparently she's afraid of her teacher since she's always yelling at her, her classmates laugh at her, her father apparently doesn't like her very much and her mother abandoned her... if someone doesn't help her she'll end up badly."

"... you are quite aware of reality aren't you?"

"I don't need to be very smart for that..."

"I'm glad you want to help a fellow student, and I thank you myself, but... Why are you telling me this?"

"That's what I was going for hehe~" I smiled awkwardly, while unconsciously scratching the back of my neck "I want to teach Emily during school hours because I don't have enough time in my free time, plus mom or sister always come to pick me up, I can't delay them..."

"No-"

"Wait, before you refuse to let me finish"

"..."

"Being honest I have nothing to learn in class, I can prove it to you by finishing all the exams of the year, even the next years and the ones that come after those. For me, sitting there is a waste of time, but don't get me wrong, I don't mean to offend."

"..."

"Now with Emily... she has no use for being in class, she can't read or write, which is quite embarrassing, but not uncommon considering the failure she has as a teacher... What kind of teacher yells at a girl for not knowing how to read? Even more so if she knows that everyone will make fun of her? my only answer is either a garbage teacher or a stupid one... maybe both, it's not impossible after all..."

"..."

"That's why I thought it would be perfect if you would allow me to spend my class time in the library with Emily, I agree to teach her reading and writing, also she can give exams in a while to confirm she's doing well, while I... can finish all the exams for the year in one day if that's what she wants"

"..."

"That would be all, sorry if I talk too much, but it usually happens to me..."

"..."

Somewhere in my explanation I got lost and started talking a lot.

Did she think I was a stupid kid to say that I could do high school stuff without any problems?

After all, she doesn't know I'm a genius.

I even insulted a teacher in front of her.

My Goddess...

Please don't let her tell my mother.

Wait...

Didn't I insult a lot a while ago?

Oh my goddess, please make my mother not remember those moments...

"*sigh* let me recap what you said..." Spoke Mrs. Smith after a while, while rubbing her temple with some tiredness "You're telling me that you want to skip classes because you can't learn anything else and you find that it would be a waste of time, yes?"

"..."

"You're also telling me that you're going to teach a girl what her teacher couldn't, yes?"

"..."

"And that's why you want her to skip class too so that you can teach her during that time, correct?"

"Yes, yes, and yes" I nodded repeatedly.

"..."

Mrs. Smith just stared at me with a stoic expression, causing my thinking to become confused for a moment.

Why wouldn't she accept?

I'd practically still be in school, I'd be teaching a student something they couldn't, I'd be helping her with her grades, I'd be able to bring mine up to the max?

I don't see the problem, I'm doing her damn job, she should be happy.

"Tell me, Christian... How old are you?"

With my eyebrows furrowed at the unexpected question, I answered "I'll be 9 in a few days."

"What grade are you in?"

"In 4th grade of elementary school"

"How many countries does the world have?

"194 recognized countries, 195 if we add Palestine."

"What is the square root of 144?"

"12"

"And the square root of 12?

"3.46410161514, but it can be reduced to 3.464."

"How many bones does the human body have?"

"Well that depends, normally you can count 206 parts, but there are many anatomical variables, plus babies have more bones than an adult"

"What is the result of the number π?"

"3.1415926535, but it's usually abbreviated to 3.14, although as far as I know, the number is infinite... but I wouldn't know, I have a hard time believing in something infinite, maybe... just maybe... at some point, someone is going to have a finite result"

"..."

Oh shit...

Looking at the director's blank expression, I realized that I had just made a huge mistake.

But I couldn't stop myself from answering...

I knew all that from my studies in my old life, and I felt that if someone asks me I have to answer it.

It's hard to explain it to myself, but it was a tremendous and irresistible impulse, but obviously stupid.

Also, I don't know if the math in this world is the same.

What if they still don't know the result of π?

I know the countries I said to exist, as I looked them up a few minutes ago, but I didn't look up anything about math.

If it turns out to be something innovative or something they haven't discovered yet in this world?

I would be taken with weird people to do math every day.

No, no, no, I'd rather die than do that shit.

"Christian, Christian, Christian... you've been hiding all this time."

"Are you going to let me or not?" I asked with mild annoyance, completely ignoring his earlier comment.

"..."

Mrs. Smith didn't respond, just stared at me for a good long while, as she tapped her fingers on the table.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I don't plan to spend the rest of my life doing boring things, so don't even bother"

"I didn't say anything."

"But you're thinking it"

"...Are you sure you're 8 years old?"

"If you count the time I was gestational, I'm 9"

"I see..." Mrs. Smith whispered, while her gaze wouldn't leave me for a second, then she nodded and spoke "Fine, I'll allow it, but on one condition."

"What?"

"You have to attend the workshop-"

"I refuse."

"Let me finish-"

"I refuse, I don't want to attend any workshops or anything like that. They will only take up my time and I have a lot of writing to do, I will start with a novel."

"... Will you really write books?"

"Yes..."

"About what?"

"Mmm... I'll start with fantasy"

"... That will do"

"Eh?"

"Write your book and give me a copy to read"

"This... Are you sure? I don't know when it will be ready..."

"Never mind, just let me read what you advance in a month. It's to verify that you're not wasting your time"

"Okay..."

"Then when you come back from vacation I want to see progress until then you are allowed to take Emily out of class" Smiled Mrs. Smith slightly, as she picked up a piece of paper in the corner and started writing quickly.

Vacation?

Oh crap.

I knew I was missing something...

Vacation starts in a week or so, which means the suspension of the trio of bitches doesn't matter much, all the exams are almost over.

Tsk

How come I let such vital things slip by?

It's okay, I'm not losing anything for now, but I have to make sure I don't make the same mistake twice.

"Take this" Spoke the principal, stretching out a small piece of paper with her hand "It's the permission slip if any teacher or the library manager says anything to you, just show them this and they'll let you go"

"Thank you" I murmured, quickly taking the paper in my hands, fearing that the lady would regret it.

"Remember this. If I find you doing anything other than studying or writing, I will instantly take away your permits and you will have to go back to class...also, you will have to raise all your grades to the highest you can, understood?"

"No worries" I smiled brightly, as I got off my seat "Thanks for agreeing, if you don't mind I'll go find Emily"

"Don't forget about our deal, I want to read your preview after the vacations."

"I'll try to give you one before I leave for vacation."

I replied lazily, as I walked out of the office without turning around.

All done...

I added an unnecessary burden on myself, but...

I would have liked to have had someone to lend me a hand in those moments of my childhood.

I guess, in this life, I can be the one to hold that little girl's hand.