Another five minutes passed and the teacher hadn't arrived yet.
"Damn I'm bored. " Ren sighed heavily, pushing his chair back, the legs scraping against the floor. A few heads turned in his direction.
Ren forced a small, neutral smile. "Sorry. "
"Hey. " He whispered to Sudo. "Where's the bathroom around here by the way? "
"Oh uh I think down the hall, second door on the left," Sudo replied, surprised by how serious Ren looked for such a simple question. "You can't miss it."
"Thanks," Ren said.
He slung his hands into his pockets and stepped out of the classroom. The metal door clicked shut behind him, muffling the laughter inside.
The hallway was near empty and much quieter than the classroom. For a moment Ren just stood there, breathing in the air.
"I need to get to the Bathroom. " He reminded himself but part of him wasn't really sure if that was really why he had really left.
It took him less than a minute to find the bathroom and he pushed open the door. The faint smell of disinfectant welcomed him first. He walked slowly to the sink, turned the tap, and let the cold water run for a second before splashing his face.
The shock of the cold water jolted him awake a little. Droplets slid down his chin, darkening the collar of his uniform. He looked up at the mirror at the tired eyes staring back.
For a moment, he just stood there, breathing hard, the sound of dripping water echoing in the tiled room.
"... What are you doing man. " He muttered to his reflection, voice low but steady. ".. you've got this, Ren. "
The mirror version of him didn't answer back, but the look in its eyes almost seemed to believe so. He straightened his tie, exhaled deeply once more, and shut off the tap.
Ren dried his hands on the towel and pushed the bathroom door open. The hallway was quiet again with just the echo of distant chatter and the squeak of shoes against the shiny floor
As he approached the stairwell, he could hear voices drifting from around the corner. He slowed his pace down to eavesdrop.
Four upperclassmen lounged by the base of the stairs, their uniforms loose, ties undone. Their hair was dyed in streaks of blonde and silver, one of them even had a chain hanging from his belt loop. They looked like they belonged there.. like the hallway was theirs to rule.
"....I am telling you, man.." one said, leaning against the railing. "Some of the guys aren't happy with the new leadership. Word is, things inside Sakuratei are about to get rougher soon. "
"Yeah, " another added, voice low but tense. "Heard the same to it seems the conflicts are heating up like, it's at like tipping point levels. Won't be long before someone snaps and challenges Hasegawa to the crown. "
The third laughed under his breath, sharp and dismissive. "Tch even I am tired of taking orders from those second-years especially to that short punk. I bet you a thousand half the seniors feel the same way. "
"Watch your mouth," the first warned, glancing around. "The last thing we need is someone overhearing this talk of ours, especially that first year. It could lead to trouble for us. "
The fourth, quieter than the rest, sighed. "I just hope it doesn't spill into the school yard again. We don't need another year of fights breaking out every other week and then there's the new principal too with the new policy. "
Their voices faded into silent murmurs but Ren stayed still, just out of sight his pulse quickening.
Sakuratei.
The group was divided…
He didn't know if that was a good thing.
He exhaled softly, then stepped away from the corner and made his way up the stairs to his classroom. Ren pushed the classroom door open, the conversations dipping down a level as a few heads turned to his direction.
He could feel the stares again some curious, some indifferent, a few clearly judgmental. His eyes moved across the room, taking in the faces that would, for better or worse, be part of his life for the next year.
Near the middle of the room sat the three familiar figures he had become accustomed too.. Sudo who was ever-dutiful and straight-backed.
Hana whose frown deepened the moment their eyes met again. Ren sighed quietly. Great. Day one, and she already hates me.
Beside her Fubuki was seated and she offered him a soft smile that lifted something in his chest even if it was just a little.
He slipped into his seat near the back, the same window-side spot. From there, he began to observe more of the class.
In the far corner sat a brooding loner, his gaze lost somewhere beyond the glass. Near the front, a confident jock laughed easily, flashing a grin that screamed "I run this place you all should worship me. "
A few seats away, a studious girl was already buried beneath a fortress of textbooks, scribbling furiously into her notebook like exams were tomorrow. Ren found himself wondering what the hell she could possibly be writing on the very first day of class with no teacher in class
And then there was the class clown complete with a crude mustache doodled across his upper lip in black pen. Ren couldn't help a quiet laugh some things never change.
But even as he tried to settle in, the echoes of the upperclassmen's voices lingered in his mind.
Internal conflict…
power struggle…
tipping point...
The words seemed to keep looping like static beneath his thoughts. He turned toward the window.
The Sakura trees outside swayed gently in the breeze, petals scattering. The sight calmed him just enough to remind him why he was here.
To find Hasegawa...
To find the truth..
To understand what really happened to Kaito.
As the last few students trickled in, Ren leaned back in his chair and let out a slow breath. No distractions, he told himself. Not this time.
But Ren was clearly mistaken, his day had just begun and a lot more was coming his way.