The classroom was alive with chatter, sunlight spilling lazily across polished desks. Laughter bounced off the walls, harmless to most… but to me, every sound seemed too sharp, too loud. My chest tightened as I sat in my seat, forcing the same calm mask I had worn for years.
The bell rang. Chairs scraped as students hurried back to their desks. Homeroom was about to begin.
I glanced to the side and froze.
Souta Hayashi. My best friend. My brother in arms. The one who, in another life, wrapped his hands around everything I loved.
His gaze wasn't on the teacher. It wasn't on the board.
It was on her.
Miyuki Sato. The girl who would soon confess to me. My girlfriend. My future wife. My future betrayer.
Their eyes met for only a second, but I caught it the quiet familiarity, the warmth that shouldn't have been there. A smile tugged at Souta's lips, subtle but soft. Miyuki looked away almost immediately, scratching the back of her head like nothing had happened.
To anyone else, it was meaningless. To me, it was a knife in the dark.
My nails dug into my palm under the desk.
If you both liked each other… why don't you just become lovers?
Why did you wait until she was mine?
Why did you go so far as to steal my mother, too?
A bitter taste filled my mouth. I shut my eyes, forcing the storm back down into silence. Not yet. This wasn't the time to lose control.
Homeroom dragged on. Announcements blurred in my ears. My classmates scribbled notes, whispered plans for after school, laughed at Souta's easy jokes.
I laughed too, on the outside. But inside, every second felt like poison.
When the bell finally rang for break, I slipped out before anyone could stop me. My feet carried me through familiar hallways, past bulletin boards and sunlit windows, until I reached the metal door at the top of the stairs.
The rooftop.
A gust of wind greeted me as I pushed it open. The city stretched beyond the railings, a wash of rooftops and distant mountains beneath the pale spring sky. Up here, the voices were muffled. The world was quieter.
I leaned against the railing, letting the breeze cool my burning thoughts.
"Such a peace, i just need some time for myself I need to calm down… If I let anger cloud me now, I'll waste this chance."
Still, the images wouldn't stop the laughter of that night, Souta's hand on Miyuki's waist, my mother's mocking smile. Every time I remembered, my body shivered with rage.
"Haruto?"
The voice was soft, hesitant.
I turned. Standing by the door was my homeroom teacher, Aoi Takahashi. She wore a simple navy blazer over a white blouse, her dark hair pulled into a neat ponytail. Her eyes sharp, yet kind studied me with a mix of concern and curiosity.
"You shouldn't be here during break," she said, stepping closer. "It's dangerous if students come alone."
I straightened. "Sorry, sensei. I just… needed some air."
Her expression softened, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "That's exactly what you used to say in middle school, too."
My chest tightened. "...Middle school?"
She nodded. "You don't remember? I was your teacher back then. I only transferred to the high school last year, after getting promoted."
The memories stirred faintly. She was right. The same calm presence during exams. The same voice that encouraged me when I doubted myself. I had forgotten her face, but not her warmth.
"You've grown a lot since then," she continued. "Still the diligent one, though. Always quiet, always early. Reliable Haruto Kurogane."
I forced a laugh. "Is that so?"
She leaned against the railing beside me, gazing out over the city. "But today, you don't seem like that boy. Your eyes… they look heavier than they should."
My throat tightened. For a second, I almost told her. About the betrayal. About the future I had seen. About the rage that threatened to consume me.
But what would she think? Who could possibly believe me?There is no way i can tell these things to anyone.
So I shook my head. "It's nothing, sensei."
Her brows furrowed slightly, but she didn't press. Instead, she chuckled. "That's also just like you. Always holding everything in."
"You know," she said quietly, "high school can be heavier than it looks. Expectations, friendships, family… it piles up. If you ever feel like you can't carry it alone, my door is open."
Her words lingered in the air, gentle but steady.
For a moment, my mask cracked. My lips trembled with the urge to speak—to spill everything I couldn't say to anyone else.
Instead, I smiled faintly. "Thank you, sensei. I'll… keep that in mind."
She studied me for another second, then nodded. "Good. Don't forget you're not as alone as you think."
With that, she pushed off the railing and headed for the door.
"Oh, and Haruto?"
I glanced back.
She smiled warmly. "Welcome to high school. Let's make these years worthwhile."
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone with the wind once more.
I freezed there for a few seconds. "Worthwhile? Ofc i will use this second chance to to evedything i couldn't, everything to destroy them, i will do everything to protect my father, a bright future"
---
The bell rang, signaling the end of break.
I forced myself downstairs and into the classroom, my mask back in place. Laughter and chatter greeted me as if nothing had happened.
"Yo, Haruto!" Souta's voice rang out.
Before I could react, he stepped forward and threw his arms around me in a half-playful hug.
My body went rigid.
The world blurred. The classroom walls dissolved, replaced by another scene another life.
Souta's foot slammed into my back, sending me crashing to the ground. I gasped for air, my palms scraping against the cold floor.
Above me stood Souta, grinning.
Beside him—Miyuki, her hand over her mouth, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
And behind them, my mother. Her pregnant stomach heavy, her lips curved into that mocking smile.
Their voices rang out together.
"Pathetic."
"Worthless."
"We never needed you."
The weight of their laughter crushed me, heavier than any blow. My chest burned, my vision swimming.
Back in the present, my knees buckled.
"Haruto?!" Souta's voice was suddenly panicked.
The pain surged through my skull like fire, every nerve screaming. My vision cracked with static, the past and present colliding violently.
I staggered backward, clutching my head.
No… not here, not now…
But the pain only deepened, dragging me toward the void.
The last thing I saw before collapsing was Miyuki's worried face peering over her desk, Souta reaching out with trembling hands.
Darkness swallowed me whole.I faint.....