Masato breathed a sigh of relief.  Ningyo-sensei was a little easier for him to handle than other teachers, mostly in that he got on Masato's nerves less.  He seemed to fraternize with students maybe a bit too much to be entirely professional, but people liked him and it made it easier for them to learn -- Masato could respect that.  Another bonus was that Ningyo-sensei's presence tended to take the girls' attention away from him, relieving yet another source of stress.<br/><br/>Thankful for the break, Masato was always as attentive as he could be during English class.  Humorously, it used to be his absolute worst subject, but now it was his favorite class.  He also couldn't deny how refreshing the unconventional teacher's personality was -- he actually kind of enjoyed learning sometimes.<br/><br/>Sadly, Ningyo-sensei seemed to look upon Masato with the same wariness that everyone else did.  Not that he could blame him for it -- he'd earned that reputation on purpose, after all.  It was simply a reminder that no one was perfect -- Ningyo-sensei had flaws just like everyone else.  Secrets, too.  In fact, Masato also wondered if perhaps the teacher's charm masked a more sinister personality.  Could it be possible that he was responsible for the rash of disappearances?  It would be easy for him to gain a student's trust and lure them into his trap.  And even if they did manage to escape, who would believe that such a well-loved teacher would be behind it?<br/><br/>Masato pondered the possibilities in silence.  He could only speculate, not having Matt's perception or deductive reasoning skills.  He would just have to remember to bring up this possibility with him during lunch.  In the meantime, Masato simply handed in his homework -- which he actually completed for once, and was sure that he did rather well on -- and played the good student for as much as he was capable.