Part 2 — Too Normal
Now even more students had started noticing the empty seat too.
The classroom slowly became quieter afterward.
Haruto couldn't focus anymore.
Every few seconds—
his eyes drifted back toward the door.
Then finally—
SLIDE.
The classroom door opened quietly.
Everyone instinctively looked up.
Misaki stood at the doorway.
At first glance—
she looked normal.
Her uniform was worn properly.
Her hair had been tied neatly like always.
Her bag rested against her shoulder normally.
Nothing looked visibly wrong.
And somehow—
that itself felt strange.
Because usually Misaki carried small expressions naturally:
slight nervousness
quiet reactions
soft attentiveness
But today—
her face looked unusually still.
Not emotionless.
Just distant.
Like her mind was somewhere else while her body continued moving automatically.
Her eyes also looked slightly tired.
Not enough for someone to immediately notice—
but enough that once seen, it became difficult to ignore.
Misaki bowed politely toward Daigo.
"…Sorry for being late."
Her voice sounded steady.
Carefully steady.
Kaito slowly stared at her.
Haruto too.
Yuna quietly lowered her gaze afterward.
Daichi stopped fidgeting with his pencil.
Even Izumi's expression softened slightly.
Because now—
Kaito's earlier thoughts no longer felt impossible anymore.
Daigo looked at Misaki silently for a moment.
Not strict.
Not questioning.
Just observing carefully.
Then he quietly answered:
"…Come in."
Misaki nodded once.
Then walked toward her seat calmly.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Just mechanically normal.
And somehow—
that felt heavier than crying would have.
She reached her desk.
Set her bag down carefully.
Sat down.
Opened her notebook.
Prepared her pencil.
Everything precise.
Everything routine.
Like if she kept moving normally—
then maybe the rest of the world would stay normal too.
Daigo quietly continued attendance after Misaki entered the classroom.
"Naoko Minami."
"…Here."
"Raizo Okabe."
"…Here."
"Riku Tanaka."
"…Here."
"Sanae Fujikawa."
"…Here."
"Shin Sugiyama."
"…Here."
"Souta Nishikawa."
"…Here…"
"Tetsu Yonamine."
"…Here."
"Yuna Sekiguchi."
"…Here…"
Once attendance finished, Daigo closed the sheet calmly and placed it aside.
Then he turned toward the board.
"…Open yesterday's notes."
The classroom slowly obeyed.
Books opened.
Pages turned softly.
Misaki quietly sat at her desk and prepared her notebook like normal.
And somehow—
that made everything feel heavier.
Daigo began writing across the board afterward.
His voice remained calm and steady as he explained the lesson.
Students copied notes quietly.
But concentration throughout the classroom felt weaker today.
Haruto occasionally glanced toward Misaki without realizing.
Not because she looked visibly broken—
but because she didn't.
She wrote normally.
Held her pencil normally.
Turned pages normally.
Yet something about her movements felt slightly delayed.
Like her body was following routine while her thoughts stayed elsewhere.
Kaito noticed too.
He lowered his voice slightly toward Ayame.
"…She's acting too normal…"
Ayame quietly answered without looking up from her notebook.
"…People react differently."
Kaito stayed quiet afterward.
But his expression still looked unsettled.
Even nearby students occasionally glanced toward Misaki unconsciously.
Yuna did it several times before quickly looking away each time.
Hina seemed distracted throughout the lesson too.
Even Izumi looked unusually quieter today.
Meanwhile—
Misaki continued writing notes carefully.
Never stopping.
Never resting her head.
Never looking around the classroom much.
Just focusing on the page in front of her.
Almost too carefully.
At one point, Daigo asked a question from the board.
"…What defines the separation between a Cycle and an Era?"
A brief pause followed.
Normally several students would avoid answering.
But today—
Misaki quietly answered without even lifting her head fully.
"…A Cycle changes historical structure."
"…An Era identifies a generation."
Daigo remained still briefly after hearing her voice.
Then nodded once.
"…Correct."
Misaki quietly continued writing afterward.
And somehow—
that moment made the classroom atmosphere hurt even more.
Because she sounded so normal.
Too normal.
Like she was trying to prove to herself that the world around her was still functioning properly.
Eventually—
the lunch bell rang.
The sound echoed through the classroom softly.
Daigo closed the notebook in his hand.
"…Continue reviewing the notes during break."
Then he quietly left the classroom.