Yuta opened the door to classroom 2-B on autopilot. His steps were calm, his expression neutral. The backpack still hung from one shoulder. But none of that mattered.
What happened was the silence.
The side conversations among the students stopped within seconds. Three, at most. Heads turned in sequence. Those standing sat without realizing. Those talking lowered their voices to murmurs. Even the sound of a chair scraping seemed more subdued.
Yuta paused on the first step, looking toward his desk. The usual one. Third row, second from the window. It was there. Untouched. Like everything around it.
Aika was turned backward, perched on one leg, her arm resting on the back of her chair. When she saw him, her expression shifted instantly.
Her eyes moved from his shoulders to his chest, then his arms, then his waist—and stopped.
She raised an eyebrow.
"You okay?"
The question sounded innocent. But the smile wasn't.
Yuta kept walking toward his seat.
"You always greet people with a full-body scan?"
"I've got a knack for it. Presence sensor… and other measurements."
"Other measurements."
Aika leaned forward, a teasing glint in her eyes.
"You've grown. But… not just in the shoulders, right?"
He stopped walking.
A few students laughed, trying to hide it. Others looked exactly where Aika was looking, then glanced away. A boy in the back let out a low "Damn…" muffled by a forced cough.
Yuta raised an eyebrow, unhurried.
"Was that a pickup line?"
"No. It was a technical report."
"Should I be worried?"
"Depends. You staying like that until the end of class?"
He ignored her and continued to his desk.
Utaha was two rows ahead. She didn't turn, but his eyes caught her profile for a second. Her chin rested on her hand, her gaze fixed on the window. Her leg swung slowly, without rhythm. Her presence felt smaller than usual.
Suzune, next to Utaha, kept her math book open but watched everything from the corner of her eye. She didn't comment. But she mentally noted every reaction.
Yuta sat down.
His body settled easily, but the chair felt smaller. His knees were higher. His shoulders nearly touched the desk's side support. The jacket rode up slightly as he adjusted, revealing part of his bare arm, marked by firmer, paler skin.
Aika was still watching. But now she pretended to read her notebook.
Then the door swung open with force.
Sae Chabashira entered as she always did: firm steps, sharp gaze, clipboard in hand.
"Good morning. Everyone seated. Now."
She walked to the front desk, set her materials on the wood, and spun the marker between her fingers. Her eyes swept the room in seconds, like a quick scan.
They stopped on Yuta.
Literally.
Two seconds longer than on any other student.
"Yuta Okkotsu."
He didn't react beyond maintaining a neutral gaze.
The teacher raised an eyebrow slightly, then looked away without comment.
Aika let out a stifled giggle but couldn't fully hide it.
"You sure he's in the same class?"
"Quiet. All of you."
Sae wrote the subject on the board.
Math.
Yuta leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly.
It was still the same school. The same classroom. The same air. But now, everything felt a little tighter. Not in the desks—in the stares.
The system didn't show any notifications.
But he felt it. Something was settling.
---
The math class proceeded with formulas written on the board and exercises projected. Sae Chabashira explained at a steady pace, leaving no room for distractions. But not everyone was paying attention.
Aika had turned around three times since the class began. She didn't say anything—just watched. Sometimes her eyes scanned Yuta from head to toe, as if trying to understand his new physical balance. On the third time, she whispered only to Suzune:
"If he grew this much in one day… imagine other things."
Suzune didn't respond. She just sighed lightly and turned the page of her book with more force than necessary.
Yuta stayed quiet. He copied the exercises, but his fingers pressed too hard on the notebook. The pen seemed on the verge of breaking. His eyes occasionally drifted to the window but always returned. Mechanically. As if something inside him was fighting to stay focused.
Utaha was restless too.
Her phone, hidden under the desk, showed an open chat screen. No new messages.
She locked the screen with slow fingers and looked ahead. But her eyes didn't see the equation. They only saw Yuta.
The bell rang sharply, announcing the break.
Sae grabbed the eraser with a quick motion and said she'd be back in ten minutes. Some students left immediately. Others stayed to chat. Aika stretched dramatically, cracking her shoulders and rolling her neck.
"Time for the final inspection."
"You giving the medical report now?"
Yuta stood, tucking his shirt into his pants.
Aika stood too, smoothing her skirt. The smile didn't leave her face.
"No. Now I'm getting water before I choke on all the testosterone in the air."
She passed him as if nothing had been said, but the glance over her shoulder said otherwise.
As the classroom emptied a bit, Utaha closed her notebook and stood slowly. Her backpack was still on the floor. Her eyes followed Yuta to the hallway, but she didn't move.
"Yuta."
He stopped before crossing the doorway.
"Wait a second."
Her voice wasn't loud. But it was enough.
He turned, resting a hand on the doorframe.
"Speak."
Utaha glanced around. Four students lingered in the back, too engrossed in their phones to notice. She walked to the front, stopping a step away from him.
"Did you see Tomoya yesterday?"
Yuta kept his face neutral. His body relaxed. But the system sparked inside him.
"I did. After class."
Utaha stayed silent for two seconds. She hadn't expected a direct answer.
"And?"
"Talked to him. Nothing big."
The response was simple. Direct. But too cold for someone supposedly at ease.
Utaha narrowed her eyes.
"Talked to him… or beat him up?"
Time seemed to slow for a second.
Yuta didn't move. But his shoulders tensed slightly.
"He crossed a line. I made that clear."
"He provoked you about Megumi, didn't he?"
Yuta didn't answer.
The silence was confirmation.
Utaha took half a step back, as if needing space to think. The hallway was now empty, except for a first-year student passing by, distracted by their phone.
"What happened after?"
"He left. So did I."
"You sure?"
"I am."
Utaha took a deep breath. Yuta's coldness left her conflicted. He didn't seem like he was lying. But he didn't seem innocent either. His voice carried something new—something that wasn't there a week ago.
"If he doesn't show up today… they'll start looking. His parents are already on alert."
"I've got nothing to do with it."
The statement hung in the air, colder than any of his previous responses.
Yuta turned to the side, placing a hand on the doorframe. The hallway ahead was quiet, the sound of footsteps from the next period echoing faintly from the opposite side of the building.
"If you want to keep this conversation going, pick someone else."
Utaha frowned slightly.
"It's not about assigning blame. I just—"
"Then don't push it."
His voice didn't rise. But the weight was there. A direct warning, leaving no room for rhetoric or emotion. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes locking onto hers.
"Don't bother me with this again."
And he left.
The sound of his footsteps in the hallway was steady. Neither slow nor rushed. But distant, as if he were already somewhere else, far from all of this.
Utaha didn't respond. She just stood there, watching his back disappear down the corridor.
Her hand tightened on the backpack strap on the floor, but she didn't pick it up.
A silent thought grew in the back of her throat.
'I was the one who told.'
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