(minutes later)
suddenly minded of this time in japanese class,
i was reading aloud from a passage and,
in response to my reading it with some hesitation or secret trepidation,
Professor said,
both playfully and teachingly in the same moment,
“don’t be weak,” with this funny lovely slanty smile,
reminding me of stories with the savvy-street-urchin-with-a-heart-of-gold character
who helps the protagonist along their path with a childlike matter-of-fact’ness and piercing insight