"What do you say, kid? Should I give you a ride back?"
Having successfully talked Ren into paying for dinner, Shizuka Hiratsuka twirled the keys to her Aston Martin around her index finger and raised an eyebrow at him.
She couldn't overpower him physically, couldn't outfight him, and she couldn't even out-eat him. She was determined to win back a little pride for herself through other means. Her beloved car was the centerpiece of that plan. She was convinced that no boy Ren's age could resist a luxury supercar.
Ren, I've got you right where I want you.
"No thanks, Hiratsuka-sensei. I'm going to take a walk to help my digestion."
Ren politely declined her offer.
"Oh, come on! You treated me to dinner, so I should see you home. It's only polite."
Hiratsuka-sensei habitually tried to hook her arm around Ren's neck to pull him into a headlock and ruffle his hair.
She missed.
Changing her approach, she nudged Ren's arm with her elbow in a friendly, overly familiar way, acting as if they were the closest of comrades. In this moment, the teacher-student boundary from school was gone, and her private motives were in full swing—mostly her desire to finally get one over on him.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, how about I drive you home instead?"
Seeing that she wouldn't take no for an answer, Ren pulled his own car key from his pocket and pressed a button. Coincidentally, his Apollo EVO was parked right in front of her Aston Martin.
The headlights flickered to life, illuminating the dimming street and freezing Hiratsuka-sensei in her tracks, her key-twirling coming to an abrupt halt.
"Kid... let me drive it! Let me drive it right now!!!"
Being a tomboy at heart, she was instantly captivated by Ren's car. She grabbed his arm and refused to let go, looking as if she'd stay there all night if he didn't agree.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, do you really want to be the person who has to drive this car into the school parking lot to return it to me tomorrow?"
Ren remained unyielding, firmly prying her hands off him.
"Tch. Fine. But you'd better remember to take me for a spin next time."
She understood his point. She wasn't angry about being pushed away, though she did click her tongue in regret. Looking at the confident, high-spirited Ren, she had to admit that school might truly be the only place where the gap between the rich and poor was even remotely minimized.
"Alright then. I won't bother seeing you off."
With her plan failed, she hopped into her car and sped away.
The Sunset and the Game
Ren didn't drive home immediately; his claim about walking for digestion wasn't just an excuse.
The sun was slowly sinking, and the horizon was painted with a brilliant, multicolored sunset. The hues spread across the sky, tinting the entire street in a dreamlike glow. Ren found himself captivated by the sheer beauty of the scene.
"Shōya, you think it's funny too, right?"
"Hahaha, this is great!"
"Right? Right?!"
The sounds of children playing drifted from not far away, catching Ren's attention. Back when he was a child, the other kids around him were often like this—clumping together to play and roughhouse during their leisure time, occasionally inviting him to join.
But Ren had always refused. They didn't have to carry the heavy burdens he did, so he let them play while he handled the weight. Now that he was older, seeing similar scenes always made him pause, hoping to catch a trace of his childhood.
Only... the situation wasn't what he expected.
Across the street, a boy with messy black hair was teasing a young girl, surrounded by other children of the same age. Among them was a girl with long, straight black hair who was joining in on the teasing.
In the center of the crowd stood a girl with fluffy, light-brown short hair. She seemed completely unaware that she was being bullied; a quiet, peaceful smile remained on her face as if she believed this was just a game between classmates. Judging by their uniforms, they were likely students from a nearby elementary school.
Bullying or just playing?
Ren didn't see a single trace of struggle or resistance in the girl's eyes. As a result, he had no intention of intervening—even though the other children didn't look like they were "playing" at all.
Anyone who actually reaches out for help deserves to be helped. If he encountered someone truly seeking help, Ren didn't mind lending a hand, provided it didn't damage his own interests. But for those who enabled it or acted like nothing was happening, he would only watch with cold indifference.
This girl fell into a third category: the unaware. Those who don't even realize their own situation are often the hardest to help; you might pull them out only for them to turn on the person who helped them. It usually ended badly.
He withdrew his gaze, planning to enjoy the sunset for a few more minutes before heading home.
The Lost Toy
"Hey, what's this? Is Nishimiya-san already wearing earphones at her age?"
The girl with long black hair, Naoka Ueno, had sharp eyes. When a breeze brushed the hair away from the girl's ear, she spotted the "earphone" tucked inside.
No wonder she's been smiling through our teasing. She's been hiding earphones to block us out and treat us like a joke, huh?
How... pretentious.
Ueno reached out toward the defenseless girl and snatched the "earphone" from her ear. The girl, Shōko Nishimiya, panicked instantly. She reached out, trying to grab it back from Ueno's hand.
This reaction only confirmed Ueno's suspicions. She held the snatched object high above her head, keeping it out of Nishimiya's reach. Seeing how stubborn she was being, Ueno thought of a fun game.
"Shōya, catch!"
Targeting the messy-haired boy, Shōya Ishida, Ueno tossed the object to him.
Ishida was momentarily stunned, but he caught the flying object nonetheless. Seeing the "earphone" move from Ueno to Ishida, Nishimiya rushed toward him.
"Ueno, catch!"
Nishimiya, who hadn't shown a hint of anger no matter how he teased her before, was now looking desperately anxious. Finding this amusing, Ishida chose to join the game.
The object flew back to Ueno. Once Nishimiya ran back to her, Ueno tossed it to another classmate standing nearby.
"Next!"
"Give it here! Let me try!"
"My turn!"
"No, me! I haven't had a turn yet!"
Perhaps these children truly believed this farce was just a game. They argued over who got to hold the "toy" next, laughing as they watched the girl in the center spin around in a frantic, desperate circle.
In that moment, cruelty took shape. Some of the children might not have even wanted to participate, but if their friends were doing it and they didn't, they would look "abnormal." And being abnormal meant being cast out. So, one by one... to protect themselves, they joined the game.
A slightly chubby boy saw Nishimiya running toward him and, in a panic, threw the object with all his might toward a friend on the other side.
He overshot.
The object sailed through the air and landed squarely in the hand of Ren, who had been leaning against the railing enjoying the sunset.
The sudden arrival of the object startled Ren. He looked down at what he was holding.
This wasn't an earphone at all.
It was... a hearing aid.
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