The bell for the next class came as a relief to Ren.
Mr. Tanaka had spent the rest of homeroom droning about school rules, semester expectations, and emergency procedures, his voice ever depressing.
Then came Japanese literature. The teacher spoke so softly half the class couldn't hear her. Ren, unfortunately, could. Every delicate syllable about seasonal motifs in early Heian verse landed like a tranquilizer dart to him.
He was halfway through mentally counting ceiling tiles when he heard his name. "Ryūhara-kun?"
His head jerked up. "Y-Yes, sensei?" His voice cracked slightly before settling.
Ms Sonada tapped the board with her chalk. There were a few lines of classical poetry were written on it.
"Perhaps you could share your interpretation of the passage we just discussed. The symbolism of cherry blossoms in Heian literature?. "
Ren's mind went blank.
Totally blank.
The kind of blank that swallows all thoughts, leaving only nothing and panic.
He hadn't been paying attention at all and to him the board might as well have been written in programming code.
"Say something. " He thought desperately, racking him brain for anything to get him out of this predicament.
"Psst." Ren heard a whisper. He glanced sideways and saw Hana seated two seats over, her posture perfect, expression unreadable.
She leaned in slightly to his side, her hand covering her mouth as her lips moved just enough for him to catch the words. "Transience. Beauty in impermanence."
Ren turned back to face the teacher and cleared his throat.
"The cherry blossoms represent transience, sensei.. " He began, his tone steadying as he went. "The beauty of things that don't last. In Heian literature, they often symbolized... the impermanence of life. And, um... the acceptance of that impermanence. "
For a moment, silence and nothing more.
The thought of Hana possibly giving him a wrong answer crossed his mind. "She wouldn't. " He thought, taking a quick look at her.
Then, a faint nod from Ms Sonada. "Adequate, Ryūhara-kun," the teacher said.
"Though I'd encourage you to pay more attention during the actual class discussion, rather than relying on..." Her eyes flicked briefly toward Hana. "...assistance from someone else. "
Ren bowed slightly in his seat. "Yes, sensei. Sorry, sensei. "
A few students chuckled under their breath. The teacher turned back to the board.
Ren risked a quick glance sideways. Hana was already writing notes again, the faintest trace of a smile on her face.
"Thanks. " He mouthed to her.
She gave him a small nod barely more than a blink and turned her page.
The rest of the literature class went by slowly. Ren tried to focus, he really did, but his thoughts kept circling back to the same questions he had no answers for.
How was he supposed to find Hasegawa?
Could he just walk up to the Sakuratei and ask?
Would they even tell him?
And what would he possiby say to him when he found him?
The bell rang for lunch pulling Ren out from his deep thoughts. Around him, students immediately erupted into conversation, the formal atmosphere of class dissolving into the chaos of lunch break. Ren gathered his things slowly, in no rush to navigate the cafeteria politics on the very first day.
"Ren!"
Shiinchiro appeared at his desk so quickly that Ren wondered if he had teleported there. The energetic boy was grinning widely, already pulling on his jacket. "Ren! Hey, Ren!"
"You coming to lunch? Come on, I'll show you where the cafeteria is! " Shiinchiro's energy was exhausting. "The Cafeteria's got decent food, but the real trick is getting there early before the good stuff runs out. Oh, and avoid the yakisoba on trust me on that one. "
"Sure," Ren said, mostly because refusing seemed like it would take more energy than agreeing.
Ren finished gathering his books and slid them into his bag. "Lead the way. " He beckoned.
"Awesome! " Shiinchiro bounced his way toward the door. "Oh, and pro tip.. my sources said to avoid the mystery meat on Mondays. Trust me on that one, they said they learned the hard way.. "
"Shiin. " Hana's voice cut through his rambling as she and Fubuki approached them. "Stop talking and start walking. Some of us would actually like to eat before lunch period ends. "
"Right, right! "Shiinchiro nodded vigorously. "This way, everyone! "
"You guys know each other?" Ren asked, glancing between the three of them.
"Yeah," Fubuki replied. "We all went to the same middle school—Mizuru Mid."
"Oh, that's cool."
Hana shot her a look. "No, it's not. He's a pain in the ass. "
Shiinchiro immediately clutched his chest in mock offense. "Ouch Hana. That's cold. After everything we've been through?"
"Yeah, like the time you got us all in trouble for climbing the gym roof. " Fubuki muttered.
"Or the time you got us in Food Fight. " Hana added.
"That was team bonding you guys!" Shiinchiro protested.
Ren couldn't help it he smirked. Their dynamic was chaotic, but familiar. The kind of effortless banter that only comes from years of shared trouble.
He slowed down his pace, watching the three of them argue lightheartedly, realizing that for the first time since stepping into this new school, it didn't room feel so heavy anymore.
The four of them soon joined the flow of students flooding into the hallways and heading downstairs.
Shiinchiro kept up a running commentary, pointing out locations and dropping casual information about the school's social structure.
"So that's the west stairwell don't use it during lunch, the third-years claim it as their territory. The gym is that way, but again, upperclassmen territory during breaks. "
"Yeah yeah yeah ." Ren replied. "Gym. Avoid it."
"Exactly! See, you're learning already." Shiinchiro grinned.
"The courtyard's nice though, good for eating outside when the weather's decent. Oh, and the library's on the third floor if you need a quiet place, but Ms. Kimura's super strict about noise..."
"Does he ever stop talking? " Hana muttered to Fubuki, though there was no real annoyance in her voice.
Fubuki giggled softly. "He means well. He's just excited to have a new friend. "
"I heard that! " Shiinchiro called back without stopping. "And yes, Hana, I do stop talking. Sometimes. When I am asleep or maybe. "
"Man, I can't believe Kaito's brother is in our class. That's so cool. "
"You knew my brother? "
"Not personally," Shiinchiro admitted. "But everyone knows about him. He's like... a legend here. One of the founders of.. " He cut himself off, glancing around nervously and lowering his voice. "You know them. "
"Sakuratei. " Ren said flatly.
"You're not supposed to say the name out loud in the halls. Bad luck. "
"It's just a word. "
"Maybe. But words have power here." Shiinchiro's usual cheerfulness had dimmed. "Look, I don't know what they've told you about this place, but it's different from normal schools. There are rules here even if they are invisible ones. Breaking them can get you hurt, it's a battleground here. "
They finally reached the cafeteria and its double doors was large enough to accommodate the flood of hungry students. The smell of rice and miso soup streamed out, mixing with the general chaos of hundreds of teenagers all trying to get food at once.
"Okay, battle stations!" Shiinchiro announced dramatically. "Remember—grab your trays, move efficiently, don't make eye contact with the lunch ladies if you want extra portions.. "
"Shiinchiro. " Hana looked annoyed.
"Right, right. Moving! " He flapped his hands in the air.
They entered the cafeteria, and Ren was immediately struck by how organized the chaos was. Students moved in formations forming lines at different food stations, claiming tables with the efficiency of a military operation.
Certain tables were empty despite the crowding. Students would glance at those tables, then quickly look away and find seats elsewhere.
And at the far end of the cafeteria, one table in particular commanded attention simply by existing. They sat there all wearing their white jackets over their standard uniforms. The jackets were nothing flashy or even covered with gang crest but there was subtle cherry blossom embroidery along the collars and cuffs, barely visible unless you were looking for it.
Sakuratei.
"Don't stare.. just... don't trust me. " Shiinchiro hissed, pulling him toward the lunch line. "Seriously. They don't like being stared at. "
But Ren couldn't help it. He counted seven students at that table. Six boys, one girl. All of them looked older second or third years, probably. They ate and talked casually, but there was an edge to them. A sharpness. Like knives wrapped in silk.
And at the head of the table sat... no one.
An empty chair. Like they were saving it for someone.. someone important.