Shino smirked, "Technically it was Reju-sama's duty to guard the well-being of the peasantry, but it's only right we provide as much help as we can!" AKA have a wonderful exciting adventure while we do our part. How fun!

Yup, I think we're good to move to post-lesson whenever you want boss types!

After it appears that the last of the children has shuffled into the room for the day, Momonaga-sensei makes her way from the door. She shuffled her feet as she moved, taking at least twice as many steps as necessary to get across the room while her feet made a sweeping sound against the ground as she called out.

"Everyone! Please sit down at your desks! Its time to start today's lesson."

Once she reached the front of the classroom, she turned on her heel and straightened out her kimono as she waited for all the children to sit down at a desk.

Hiruto nodded to the others before he turned and settled into his assigned place.

Like most of the other students his belongings were set neatly nearby, but he was a conspicuous presence even when seated, his bulky profile at odds with most of the other children.

He tried to clear his mind for the lesson, but it was difficult, with all the excitement, the mystery, the disconcerting rumors and the promise of lunch and his more specific tutelage waiting for him later in the day.

Bright golden eyes flicked up from the washi before them to catch the sensie's call to attension. "Hai," the soft, crisp, voice noted her readiness, and attention.

Where eyes of gold called to be seen, what remained of Ichiko did not.  Draped in a kinmono of browns, a darker one for the collar, cuffs, and edges, and a lighter brown for the main body, Ichiko's small frame nearly disappeared into her desk.  Only the speckles of bright green in her obi, cut the disguise, much like golden eyes broke the plainness of her facial features.

She had been there, first in class, today, as often was the case, but Ichiko read or wrote, not bothering in conversations being had by her colleagues.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:47, Sun 14 Mar 2021.

Scant moments after their teacher called for quiet, and for everyone to take their seats, the group scattered, Sanjiro quickly making for his usual desk at the front of the classroom and next to Ichiko.  Catching her gaze for just a moment, he flashed the reclusive Owl girl a warm smile, before taking his seat.

As Momonaga-sensei waited on the handful of stragglers, flashing the various offenders a stern look that quickly sent them diving for their desks, Sanjiro took a deep breath to steady himself, forcing his mind to focus on the lesson ahead.  The mysteries of the afternoon's adventure would simply have to wait.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:15, Sun 14 Mar 2021.

Mei fell into place quickly, taking her normal seat. Writing kit coming out quickly, setting everything precisely in its place. Sitting straight, attention forward. Or trying to, at least. Her attention peeled aside to a note she'd scribbled in the morning. Dots on a page- her go game against her father.

Biting her lip, Mei started trying to figure out a way through her current engagement in the southwestern corner of the map.

The warm smile of the Phoenix met a dispassionate glance from the Owl.  In his fleeting glimpse he caught on the washi a title that read 'Cucumber thief' before her small quick fingers pulled it, and tucked it beneath a fresh sheet.

Shino took her usual seat right in the middle of the room. She loved Momonaga-sensei's class the most, but she never took the front row. She sat right where Sensei's eyeline was the most comfortable, and sometimes she answered more questions than the nerds up front. When she wanted to.

It also let her blend back into the anonymity of the class when the dreaded historical questions came up.
She just didn't like learning names and dates...

Once everyone seemed ready, Momonaga took an exaggerated deep breath before speaking loudly and clearly so that everyone, even those at the back, could hear her.

"Today we are going to talk about a story I am sure many of you have heard before. It is a story that Shinsei-sama told to Hantei-sama and Togashi-sama," she announced while keeping her hands folded before her as if to set the example of being peaceful to the students.

She closed her eyes momentarily as though to let her mind escape into another world. When she opened it, she had a more dream-like quality sparkling in them. Her hands unfolded and she began to make sweeping motions with her hands as she told the story.

"There was once an old farmer who had worked diligently on his crops for many years. But then one day, as he was tilling the fields with his horse, a crow that had been eating some of the rice sprung up from within the field."

She made one hand flat and traced a line with one finger of her other hand to show the motion.

"The suddenly movement scared the horse and, before the farmer could do anything, it ran away!!"

She suddenly moved both her arms to the side in a sweeping motion as if to simulate the horse moving past before cutting her hands to her cheeks and making an exaggerated gasp with wide eyes.

"Later, the neighbor heard about this and came by."

She turned to the left taking on the character of the consoling neighbor as she spoke the lines, "I am so saddened to hear about this happening to you. It's such a calamity!"

Returning to her narrator character she turned face forward and asked, "But-- do you know what the farmer said?!" It was a rhetorical question, she did not wait for an answer before giving it. After all-- many, if not all, had surely heard this story before.

Turning to the right and took on the mannerism of a rather relaxed and content old man. With a shrug, she said "Maybe."

Then turning back to the class she went on, "The next day, his horse returned with 3 more wild horses!" she held up three fingers to emphasize the additional horses the farmer had gained.

Turning to the left she once again took on the character of the neighbor, this time not bothering to explain the character change. This character was far more cheery as he congratulated the old farmer. "Wow! You are so very lucky!! This must truly be a blessing!!"

Then, turning to the right, she once again assumed the character of the old man who took this too in stride, "Maybe."

Then, becoming the narrator again, Momonaga went on. "But the next day, the farmer's teenage son, delighted with the new horses, decided to try to ride one."

She pantomimed getting onto a horse as he continued, "The horse jolted and the boy fell off and broke his leg!!"

She went to the floor herself before reaching down and holding her leg pretending it was hurt, though not in a convincing enough manner that anyone should think it real. Especially with the calmness that she continued, "Oh, no!! Now I will not be able to help my father tend the fields!"

Rising back up quickly, she turned to the left once again taking on the voice of the neighbor. "This is truly tragic! So many disasters in just a few days, surely you must be cursed!!"

Then, turning to the right and taking on the calm demeanor of the farmer, a shrug and yet another "Maybe."

Once again becoming the narrator, she continued, "The next day the warlord came looking for boys to conscript into his army," she puffed herself up as much as someone like her could, put a mean look on her face and made a few stomping steps to give the impression of the warlord.

Then pointing towards the ground, in the deep, booming voice of the warlord she said, "You can't even walk! You are no good to me!!" and then turned around and made a few stomping steps the other direction to indicate that the warlord had left the scene.

But quickly sliding back into the regular place with a couple sidesteps, she once again took on the role of the neighbor character. "This is so very wonderful for you! Had your son not been injured when he was, surely he would be marching to his death! Truly the heavens must smile upon you!!"

Then, turning to the right, she took on the character of the calm old farmer and merely gave a shrug and a "Maybe."

And, the story having concluded, she turned back to the class. Her breathing was noticeably a little heavier after having put on this performance, but she did her best to maintain composure and folded her hands before herself.

As herself once again-- not the narrator, not the neighbor nor the farmer-- she asked the students. "What do you think Shinsei-sama wished us to understand through this story?"

Watching Momonaga-sensei act out the story, Sanjiro couldn't help but smile.  Her enthusiasm and willingness to step into character made things far more enjoyable than if he had simply read the story off of a page.

So enraptured was he with her performance, that it took the Phoenix a few moments to snap out of his stupor and remember that she had asked a question.  Thankfully more than a few of his classmates seemed to be in the same boat, and so despite the delay, he was the first to answer, saying simply "It seems to me that Shinsei-sama was saying good or bad is simply a matter of perspective.  Nothing is inherently either, rather it is thinking that makes it so."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 17:54, Mon 15 Mar 2021.

Eyes widened at the challenge before them. Ichiko had waited patiently for the Phoenix to speak, and she was overjoyed at the thought that he missed the deeper lesson.  A corner of her lip arched up before she contained her glee enough to straighten her lips once more.

"Shinsei-sama is saying we should not focus on perspectives," she chose the word to better correct the Sanjiro, and lingered on it a bit longer to emphasize the point she was about to make.  "Of good or bad when speaking of what destiny has planned for us."

"But focus instead on applying the lessons we have learned and the lessons destiny is teaching us, on our journey towards enlightenment."

Satisfied with her answer she fell back to silence.

Mei looked up only when a warlord was mentioned in the story. But once she realized that it was just the story of the farmer and the horses her attention began to wander again. The story was one she'd heard a hundred times before- the stories Shinsei had told the Kami were well known. Even in a household where the Tao had never crossed the threshold.

Her attention turned down to the notation on her go game. Biting her tongue gently as she attempted to reason out her father's possible reaction to her next move. Tapping her charcoal pencil against an empty spot on her paper as she thought.

Hiruto considered the story. It was the first time he had heard it told in such a way, although he recognized the elements from a few others he had heard. Perhaps the new telling gave him some fresh perspective, or perhaps he simply played off the answers of the other students.

"I think Shinsei-sama is speaking of wisdom." he said somewhat simply in comparison to the other answers. "The sort of wisdom that comes from a long life close the earth. Whatever comes, the man is still a farmer, and he has learned to meet each situation with a calm and patient heart." he chimed in when his turn presented itself.

Shino listened in rapt attention, awed by Momonaga-sensei's craft. She was just so talented, there were practiced Sentaki courtiers in her father's Court, seasoned veterans in stageplay and showmanship, and they could not hold a candle to her skill.

Shino loved literature class because of the art of presentation and showmanship; she loved to watch the art of storytelling in action.
As her fellow students gave their answers to the question, Shino also raised an eyebrow and appreciated the revealing nature behind their responses.

Sanjiro, introspective and nerdy as always, brought up perspective and impermanence, matters important to a Phoenix.
Ichiko, walking textbook that she was, stressed the importance of learning from experience. Shino's mother would constantly nag her about her own studies. Seriously, Owls...
Hiruto spoke of calm and patience, moving slowly and living a long life. Shino suddenly pictured a turtle in her mind, and despite the profundity of Hiruto's point, she couldn't help but giggle.
Mei, well she was always silent in this class. That was telling by itself.

Then there was her own answer. Shino smiled wryly to herself. The first line in her head was also too telling about her, but she might as well participate.

"Shinsei-sama was saying there is nothing truly good or bad, everything depends on how we utilize the situation." Shino added to the growing chorus of answers.

Momonaga seemed to consider the words of each of the children carefully. With an exaggerated, "Hmmmm" and tilting her head to the side with a finger to her temple. After a moment, she spoke up softly.

"These are all good lessons, children. But I think they might be better illustrated with other tales," she mused.

"Well, Sanjiro-chan and Shino-chan bring up a similar point. The things in the story that seemed to be bad at the moment turned out to be good and the things that seemed to be good turned out bad... But did the farmer's attitude about it really make the events a blessing or a curse, or did he take any particular actions that changed his fate? It seems that things merely happened to him and he took them in stride." she explained while suggesting that these answers were a bit incomplete.

"Besides," she added, "Is Shinsei-sama truly saying there is nothing that could happen that would be bad? We all know that he led the Thunders to battle and defeat the dark one. If he felt there was nothing that could ever happen that was bad, then why not allow darkness to win and advised the people to simply welcome it and make it a blessing in their minds?"

It seemed an extreme example to cite the foundational story of the empire-- but it was a rare example in which one could truly say that Shinsei did something rather than merely said something.

"Ichiko-chan saw something very similar. But I also wonder if its the right lesson here. I don't recall anything in the story about anyone learning a lesson and applying it. For such  story wouldn't we wish to see the farmer before and after learning such a lesson? I suppose we might guess that the farmer used to be more like his neighbor, but we would only be guessing," she continued still not feeling as if the essence of the thing had yet been found.

"And Hiruto-chan is correct in recognizing the traits of the hero of our story, but if we could learn nothing from hearing the story and instead could only gain wisdom from being like the hero, then why would Shinsei-sama have bothered to tell the tale? Surely we are meant to recognize why his attitude was wise rather than merely what traits he had."

As her gaze swept across the children, she added, "But there is something to be said for a life where you live in the moment and free yourself from distractions. It seems that there are some minds distracted with thoughts of future plans rather than being here with us now."

Hiruto considered this question for some time. There was something there... something beyond merely recognizing that the farmer was wise for not acting rashly or dramatically over every change in his life.

But the boy had trouble forming those thoughts into a fitting answer. While he could picture what he meant, his vocabulary failed him for the moment.

"Hmm" Hiruto eventually replied, in a pensive way. He sat back and crossed his arms contemplation and nodded slightly to himself, then again at Momonaga-sensai.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:51, Tue 16 Mar 2021.

Sanjiro could barely hide his annoyance as Ichiko spoke up in her typical smug fashion in an attempt to make him look foolish.  Thankfully the others quickly shared their thoughts, and so any anger he might have felt towards the Owl girl quickly faded.  Besides, this was hardly the first time that the two disagreed on something or taken veiled potshots at the other's ideas, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

When his classmates had all finished and Momonaga addressed the children, the young Phoenix listened, his expression carefully neutral.  She too seemed to have missed the point he was trying to make, but that was fine.  What bothered him more was that their teacher seemed to have combined his answer with Shinos, which made no sense as they were clearly making different points, even if they were similar.  And that difference was quite important, especially as it spoke to the core philosophical differences between the two clans.

Still, that didn't mean that the rest of her point was invalid, and given the fact that she very well could be talking about the Investigators and their afternoon plans, he couldn't help but flush slightly.

Mei sighed, but quickly caught herself. Striking out the most recent iteration of her go game. There was something there she was missing. It was aggravating, but not something she could solve now. When she looked up again, it was startling how much time had passed. She'd missed the entire lesson!

Again.

The Lion cub tried to sit up straight, looking ahead to prove she was paying attention. Training her eyes on Momonaga-sensei. Trying to effect a studious look.

Shino sat back in her chair with a puffy pout, looking thoughtful. She disliked history, but even she knew of Shinsei-sama's battle with the dark one. It seemed entirely contradictory to the story though, and Shino felt like she missed something.

If Shino had wanted to tell this story with the meaning as she saw it, she would just never mention Shinsei-sama's battle, so as not to dilute the point. But the way Momonaga-sensei taught the class made her ponder in confusion. Shinsei-sama was really inscrutable...

"Maybe, good and bad exist together? There is bad things in good, and good things in bad?" she ventured again, enthralled in the lesson. "The dark one was bad, but the Thunders are inspirations to the Empire now; legends fundamental to how each clan aspires to be. And that's the good in the bad...right?"

Shino smiled hopefully.

Momonaga seemed a little disappointed that the children didn't offer new ideas or try to defend their points. However, she lit up as Shino spoke up.

Giving several quick nods with a smile she chimed up, "I think Shino-chan might be on the right track here. The things that seemed to be initially bad led to good things to happen and the things that initially seemed good led to bad things to happen."

Pretending to muse it over she further explained her thoughts on this, she then suggested, "Simply because things seemed to turn out well in the case of this farmer by the end of the story, can we really say that bad things always lead to good? For example. The farmer losing his horse was an accident. But if it would always turn out that the horse would come back with more horses, then wouldn't a clever farmer intentionally set his horse free and sit back expecting good results? Or if the horse coming back and bringing more horses is an unusual outcome-- then how might a story of a similar farmer be different if the horse simply never came back?"

Her gaze swept across the classroom looking for anyone who might be able to imagine the scenarios and consider how such things might play out.

Hiruto seemed to find what he was looking for and raised his hand. When called upon, he replied. "Could it be a way of saying that we should hope for the best, and prepare for the worst?" he posited. "If the farmer believes is horse is gone forever, or that his son will not be able to help with the crop that season, he can make his plans to pull through regardless, and if something fortunate does happen, he has not really lost anything by being better prepared." he shrugged towards the end, evidently not extremely confident in his position.

Conflict arose in the mind of the young girl.  She had not liked the words of Momonaga-sensai in response to her answer, but she could not bring herself to contradict or challenge the sensai openly in class.  This conflict of thought played upon little Ichiko's face, but she held to her silence, choosing to listen rather than speak.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:19, Wed 17 Mar 2021.

Mei hadn't been listening, but she knew the story. And more than the story, she knew how tedious Shinsei's stories were. And this one was no different. Clearly, the reaction of the rest of the class showed that. Mei would normally keep silent- not wanting to protest against their teacher's lesson too loudly. But her annoyance with the game and the story were both making her face wear thin.

"A skilled general must find their opportunities. To delay is lose," Mei quoted from something she'd read- probably Leadership but she didn't slow down enough to explain. Frustration in her voice. "The farmer doesn't do anything, or learn anything, or help anyone. When things happen that make it so he can't pay his tax he stands around. When his lord needs soldiers to defend them he shrugs. In the end he doesn't do his duty, he can't work his farm, and lord is weaker. Then the farmer stands around doing nothing and not trying to do anything!"

Shino leaned back and almost audibly groaned. How like a Lion to totally not get the message. Even Hiruto in the famously uncouth Crab clan at least tried to get it. Still, beneath her exasperation, she couldn't help watching Mei's retort gleefully. That girl was always so uptight, always trying soooo hard; this was almost a crack in that porcelain mask. Almost.

"Yes, why wasn't the peasant exhibiting the pure virtues of a samurai? Doesn't he know he's expected to be one even though he wasn't born into that station in life?" Shino added mischievously. The atmosphere in the room was not at all the calm contemplation that Shinsei-sama probably wanted to provoke with his stories. Confusion, hurt pride, frustration; it was all so delicious, she just had to stir up the pot.

"Surely a farmer that was trying to tend to his crops all day could afford to spend an entire day looking for his lost horse, being proactive. Of course, he wasn't working his farm during the entire story to fulfill his tax quotas, that explains it.
Surely a boy with a broken leg should just fix it right up so he can rush off to war and die a needless death. He's obviously expected to, he has all the other perks and training of a bushi, why shouldn't he die like one?
What an excellent example of Compassionate thinking to outshine Shinsei-sama!"

Shino practically cackled from her seat before eyeing Mei expectantly. Show me the real you, Mei-chan, not quotes from some random book. What do you actually believe?