Haruka sat perfectly straight at her desk in the second row of Class 1-A, her posture impeccable despite the swirling chaos of the morning.
She was engrossed in reviewing her advanced mathematics notes, her focus absolute.
However, she was acutely aware of the palpable wave of shock and disbelief radiating from her classmates.
She knew precisely why they were staring: the numerous, undeniable hickeys that peppered her pale neck and collarbone, and adding the fact that she was absent yesterday, all sorts of theories and stories filled the head of every student.
But she ignored them completely, treating the room's tension as nothing more than background noise.
She wasn't particularly close with anyone in class aside from Tachibana Rei, who she considered a polite acquaintance, making their opinions irrelevant.
"U-Um."
But, just then, a brave, perhaps overly curious, female classmate named Satou approached her desk, adopting a façade of concerned friendliness.
