Ren.
Ren's head snapped up from his slunber. Mr. Tanaka was standing right beside his desk, looking mildly annoyed. Ren was so out of it he hadn't even noticed him approach him all this time.
"I asked you a question. " He asked annoyed.
"sorry, sir. Could please you repeat it? "
A few students laughed in the crowd.
Mr. Tanaka sighed heavily, the sign of a man already tired of his job on the very first day. "I asked if you had your schedule printout from the office, or if you need me to give you a copy. "
"I have it," Ren said quickly, fumbling in his bag before pulling out the crumpled sheet. "Sorry. "
"Pay attention from now on. " Mr. Tanaka ordered, turning back to the board leaving Ren to sink lower in his seat, his face burning a sea of red.
Great. First day, and he had already pissed off a teacher.
Keep your head down, Hana had said.
Don't get pulled in.
He was doing a fine job at that.
The desk beside him suddenly scraped loudly as someone dragged it closer to his. "Yo!"
Ren turned sharply and found Shiinchiro grinning at him like they were already best friends. "You are from out of town, right? Ren was it?"
"...Yeah," Ren said cautiously. After Mr Tanaka's queryin, he wasn't exactly in the mood for small talk that would get him into trouble.
But Shiinchiro either didn't notice or simply didn't care about that as he stuck out his hand, his grin ever present.
"I'm Shiinichiro Hayashi! Looks like we are going to be classmates for the next year, so let's get along!"
There was something disarming about him. There was no hidden motives in his eyes, no calculation. Just genuine, chaotic friendliness.
Almost against his will, Ren reached out and shook his hand. "Ren Ryūhara."
Shiinchiro froze mid-shake, his eyes widening at the statement. "Wait. Ryūhara?"
Ren blinked. "...Yeah? "
"No way. The Ryūhara?" Shiinchiro leaned closer, voice dropping.
Shiinichiro finally took a good look of Ren. "Holy crap.. you are Kaito's little brother?"
Ren's stomach tightened. "Kaito?"
"The Kaito," Shiinchiro said, grinning like he'd just uncovered buried treasure. "He was a legend! He founded Sakuratei before he suddenly dipped out right before the civil war."
Ren's pulse spiked. The words echoed in his head, one by one.
Founded Sakuratei.
Civil war.
Kaito? His brother?
Ren's mind raced. Kaito had always dodged questions about high school always vague, always joking his way out of it. Now Ren was starting to see why.
His hand curled into a fist under the desk. "Why didn't you tell me any of this, Kaito?"
But Kaito couldn't answer. Not from the hospital bed where he lay hooked up to machines, silent and still.
Shiinchiro finally released Ren's hand and dropped back into his chair, pulling out a battered notebook covered in doodles and stickers.
"Anyway," he said with a carefree shrug, "don't stress too much. Things are kinda wild here, but it's not all bad. "
He said it like it was supposed to be reassuring.
Ren's lips twitched slightly into something not quite a smile but close enough. The first flicker of warmth he had felt all day. "That's... good to know."
"Right?" Shiinchiro grinned.
"Thanks," Ren said quietly. And for once, he meant it. Having even one person who seemed genuinely friendly made this place feel a little less suffocating.
"No problem! That's what classmates are for!" Shiinchiro leaned in conspiratorially. "Fair warning, though Mr. Tanaka's tests are brutal. Like, way harder than his lectures make them sound. He'll lull you into a false sense of security and then BAM! quiz questions from the depths of hell."
Despite himself, Ren almost laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."
"See? We're totally gonna get along!" Shiinchiro grinned wider. "Oh, and about.. "
"Mr. Hayashi. " came Mr. Tanaka's dry voice from the front. "If you are quite finished with your little conversations at the back with Mr. Ryuhara perhaps we can continue with our class.?"
"Sorry, Tanaka-sensei!" Shiinchiro called back, not sounding sorry at all.
A ripple of laughter went through the room. Even Mr. Tanaka's stern expression cracked slightly proof that Shiinchiro's antics weren't new to him.
Shiinchiro winked at Ren before turning back toward the front, doodling instead of taking notes.
Ren leaned back, exhaling softly.
Maybe this place wouldn't be completely unbearable.
Maybe.