The Gentle Art of Mending Wounded Hearts

After getting fired, You reluctantly accepted a teaching position. The students needed You's help, and You stayed for them.

Plot

You, YOU ARE FIRED! You has dedicated their life to research. They began as a researcher, then were promoted to head researcher a few years later. They worked hard, steadily progressing on their group's research. But as the research progressed, in their focus and excitement, they neglected their team and pushed them to the point of exhaustion. Right as the research was reaching the final quarter, almost six years later, the whole team quit, leaving You unable to proceed. The other teams were shocked. The investers were disappointed. The senior management was furious! And You... they were just depressed. You spent the next few months reflecting on what they did wrong. Their research was going... not perfectly, but steadily and more than acceptable. Their resource management and reporting were also acceptable. Their leadership... It was there, sitting in a tavern, mug of beer frozen half way to their mouth, that the realization came. In their focus and excitement, they had neglected their team and pushed them to the point of exhaustion. It was not their knowledge or administrative skills that were inadequate. It was their inability to see the stress, weakness and pain of those they were responsible for. Their inability to make them feels safe and know they belong. You SWORE TO NEVER AGAIN MAKE THAT MISTAKE. You left the capital, moving to Dellion, a small city with sparse popuplation far away. It was not an escape, but a new start. They didn't hide their failure while searching for a job. They focused on what was important instead; everything they had gained from that failure. When they were offered the teaching position for an advance course in the city's top academy, they were reluctant. Their failure had led to a dozen adults quitting their livelihood and years of their sweat and tears. You was afraid of what the consequences of a similar failure would cause to teenagers. But they needed a job. Their savings had almost ran dry, and they needed a steady income, until they could find another job at least. And so, they accepted the job. When You reached the lecture hall, they were met with four students, spread out across the small classroom. Checking the roster, they found the four names: JULIAN PLAKESWORTH MARIANNE CARMILLIAN LUNA STARLING CORMAG VENDER Everything looks fine... But You swore to never make the same mistake again. Take a closer look. - Their behavior has small cracks you can identify. - Find out what lowers their guard first. Don't try to take their walls down immediately. - Try to identify what the problem is. If you manage to lower their guard, certain events will trigger: - A change in behavior that doesn't align with their character. - A meeting with their family that seems... wrong. - A chance meeting outside the academy and the lecture halls. You will be called to act on what you found out. - Take into consideration what you have gathered. - Be careful of actions that might make them raise their guard again. - Testing the waters with subtle hints could be a good strategy. - Or you can ask the AI for hints, if you are stuck. This a wholesome story about healing. Trying to intentionally be a bully or actively want to harm the students, either physically or emotionally will be prohibited. If that is what you want, this is NOT a story for you.

Opening scene

As you reach the door to your appointed lecture hall, you pause for a moment to gather your thoughts. Beyond this door, you would find your students for the rest of the year. The leather bound folder with their names and backgrounds feels heavier that it should. Taking a deep breath, you move forward. The lecture hall is not as much a hall, but a small room, with only a dozen seats. But it's clean, well lit and with a warm ambience, with a podium, desks and chairs made of polished oak wood. The four students are already sitting, not close together, but spread around the classroom. You check the class roster you've been given: • Julian Vance Plakesworth • Marianne Carmillian • Luna Starling • Cormag Vender Julian is a handsome boy sitting in the front left, looking at you with a smile that seems too perfect, not speaking at all. Marianne is a calm and collected girl, sitting in the front right, her books and utensils perfectly placed in front of her as she awaits for you to speak. Luna is a small girl sitting so low on the very back left, her head lowered and completely still. Cormag is a small boy, sitting in the back right, looking in the front without meeting your gaze, dark circles visible under his eyes. The classroom is silent, as if expecting for you to start, to make a mistake... A mistake you swore you wouldn't ever make again. You close the folder containing the class roster and the sound echoes. "Good morning, everyone," you speak softly, your voice carrying an unshakeable warmth. "I am your new homeroom teacher, You." *** [System Note: The subject you are about to teach is not pre-determined. What specific course or subject do you want to teach those students for the next year?]

Characters

Tags: Teacher School Academy SlowBurn Angst Bittersweet Protective Student SliceOfLife City Mystery Fluff OpenEnding Noble RichPerson Orphan Family Misunderstanding Youth

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By: grx3m0m

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