Part 3: Back to the Noise
Haruto slid open the classroom door quietly, the familiar chatter and clatter of desks filling the air. He stood there for a moment, unsure, scanning the rows of seats. It had been so long since he last came — everything looked slightly different. He looked around until his eyes landed on a familiar blue satchel with a small thunder-shaped badge on it.
Ayame's bag.
Without thinking twice, he walked toward it and sat down on the chair beside, his movements quiet but noticed by almost everyone. The room went oddly still for a few seconds. Haruto could feel it — the stares, the whispers, the glances at his red-and-blue hair. He kept his eyes low, pretending not to care, but every sound echoed too loudly in his head.
Then, suddenly—
"Haruto! You actually came!"
He turned to see Amaya rushing into the class, her usual bright grin stretching across her face. She hurried straight to him, dropped her bag beside his desk, and flopped into the seat.
"I can't believe this! You really showed up!" she said, leaning forward eagerly. "You have no idea how boring it was without you! Ayame kept spacing out, Kaito was always serious — it was so dull!"
Haruto blinked, caught off guard by her energy. A small, hesitant smile tugged at his lips. "You… talk a lot in the morning," he muttered.
Amaya giggled. "Well, someone has to! You've been gone for ages. What were you even doing, sleeping for two years straight?"
Haruto tilted his head slightly. "Something like that."
Their small laughter drew a few looks, but it was warm — genuine. For a moment, it almost felt normal again.
Then the sliding door slammed open.
Everyone immediately froze and scrambled to their seats.
A tall, broad man stepped in — Daigo Morinaka, the academy sensei. He had a buzzcut, a slightly oversized uniform jacket, and a half-eaten rice ball in one hand. His serious face didn't match the crumbs around his mouth.
"All right, class—" he began, then stopped mid-sentence when he spotted Haruto sitting there.
Haruto looked back. Silence.
The entire class stood up and greeted, "Good morning, Sensei!"
But the two of them just stared at each other, unmoving. Daigo slowly raised an eyebrow. Haruto tilted his head, still unfazed.
Finally, Haruto broke the silence.
"You ain't gonna stop eating, huh, Sensei? I can tell you've gotten fatter since last time."
The class burst into laughter. Amaya nearly choked trying not to laugh too loudly.
Daigo squinted, pretending to be offended. "Oh really? Big talk from the kid who looks like he's been napping and eating all year! You sure you didn't gain a few pounds too, Haruto?"
Haruto crossed his arms, smirking faintly. "That's muscle. Not everyone sits around grading papers and snacks."
"Oho!" Daigo laughed, pointing his rice ball at him. "Still got that mouth of yours, huh? Maybe I missed it a little."
The laughter rolled through the room, easing the tension that had been hanging in the air since Haruto walked in.
As everyone settled down, Amaya went back to her seat in front, and Ayame entered — spotting Haruto, she gave a small, surprised smile before slipping into her seat beside him.
Daigo clapped his hands once. "All right, enough comedy, you little troublemakers. Let's get started. Attendance time!"
He started calling names in his usual loud voice:
"Amaya Homura."
"Here!"
"Arashi Homura."
"Here."
"Ayame Inazuma."
"Present!"
"Haruto Inazuma."
Haruto raised a lazy hand. "Yeah."
"Izumi Homura."
"Here!"
"Kaito Inazuma."
Kaito raised his hand from the middle row. "Here, Sensei."
"Misaki Hoshino."
"Present!"
"Souta Nishikawa."
"Here."
"Yuna Sekiguchi."
"Here, Sensei!"
Daigo nodded, marking the register before glancing at Haruto again. "Good to have you back, kid. Don't make me get used to your empty chair again."
Haruto smirked lightly, turning to look out the window. "No promises."
The morning lesson began with Daigo pacing at the front of the room, chalk in hand, drawing wobbly lines on the board.
"Now, if you ever end up in the middle of a lightning release technique, what's the first thing you don't do?" he asked.