As the saying goes, no two people truly feel the same pain. Yet, when one person makes a genuine effort to understand another, their hearts might occasionally find a common frequency.
"Alright, is everyone here?" Hasegumo stood behind the classroom podium with an uncharacteristically grim expression. "Suguru is standing on the edge of an abyss. One wrong step now, and there'll be no turning back."
"Is it really that serious?" Satoru Gojo asked, still clinging to a somewhat naive faith in his best friend. He raised an index finger, attempting a logical breakdown. "That guy talks a lot of nonsense. Gumo, are you sure you didn't just take one of his jokes too literally?"
"It's real. When Suguru-senpai was talking to that woman, he was dead serious," Yu Haibara interjected immediately. "The tone he used... I have no doubt those were his true thoughts. Gumo-senpai, what should we do?"
"I know the difference between a joke and a conviction," Hasegumo said, enjoying his brief moment of acting like a teacher before stepping down from the podium. "I don't have a perfect solution yet. That's why I called this meeting—we need to find a way to pull Suguru back."
He looked directly at Satoru. "And you, Satoru. You call yourself his best friend, yet you can't even see what's going on inside his head?"
"Being a best friend doesn't mean I'm his boyfriend. Who goes around obsessing over every little setback a man faces?" Satoru grumbled, clearly annoyed. "Hiding your pain and swallowing your sorrow to deal with it on your own—isn't that just what being a man is about?"
The group pulled their chairs into a circle and sat down.
"Spoken like a true idiot," Shoko said, leaning against the wall and lighting a cigarette. "If you ask me, what he needs is to feel some 'love.'"
"And how are we supposed to provide that?" Kento Nanami asked. He rested his feet on a desk, his expression stoic as he dropped a bombshell. "Should we find someone to help him out in the Red Light District?"
"Nanami, are you... familiar with those places?" Shoko narrowed her eyes at him. "Who took you there?"
Drip.
A single bead of cold sweat rolled down Nanami's forehead. "Well..." Feeling a sudden surge of killing intent, he glanced around at his peers. It didn't seem like anyone was willing to take the fall for this one.
"Satoru, are you slacking off again?"
The door swung open to reveal Masamichi Yaga, looking every bit like a high-ranking Yakuza boss. Seeing the room full of students, he immediately went into "scolding mode." "What are you all huddled up in here for? Why aren't you out on missions? Have you all been corrupted by Satoru?"
"And Shoko! No smoking in the classroom!"
"Sensei~ can you please stop blaming me for everything?" Satoru whined. "Try taking some responsibility as a teacher for once, okay?"
Shoko gave a cute, innocent smile, crushed her cigarette, and flicked it into the trash. She took a seat between Hasegumo and Haibara. Though they were all different types, to everyone else in the room, the three of them looked like Teletubbies sitting in a neat little row.
"I knew we were missing something. It was Yaga-sensei," Hasegumo said, being the first to recover. "By the way, isn't looking after a student's mental health part of a teacher's job?"
"Hmm?" Yaga looked confused. "What exactly is going on here?"
"Chotto matte," Satoru interrupted just as Hasegumo was about to explain. "Emerge from darkness, blacker than black. Purify that which is impure."
A Curtain descended over the room.
"There. Now no one can eavesdrop on us." Satoru gestured forward. "Please, continue."
Seeing Satoru go so far as to cast a Curtain, Yaga realized the atmosphere in the room had turned heavy.
"Yesterday, Yuki Tsukumo approached Suguru..."
Saved. Nanami silently wiped the sweat from his brow, furtively glancing around. Thank god, everyone seems to have forgotten about the Red Light District comment.
"Plan B. First, we need to find a remote location. Preferably deep in the mountains where there are no people. A quiet environment helps one relax," Yaga arranged from the podium.
"Quiet enough to make someone want to jump off a cliff?" Satoru muttered. "With no one around, he'll just stay trapped in that mental loop of his."
"Quiet, Satoru." Yaga wanted to snap at him, but he felt a pang of guilt. As a teacher, it was embarrassing that he had to be told about his student's mental state by other students. He had been negligent. Softening his tone, he added, "Just listen."
The sharp-witted Hasegumo raised his hand immediately. "My hometown fits the description perfectly. Plus, I have a foolproof excuse to send him there."
"Understood. It's a possibility. I'll leave that task to you, Gumo. Make sure there are no slip-ups."
"Next is... Plan C..."
Summer in Tokyo was always long and stifling. Even at the end of August, there wasn't a hint of autumn in the air.
At least I learned Gumo's trick, Suguru thought. I don't feel the heat even in a crowd.
Standing on the train, he held onto the overhead rail with one hand. The handrail that others had to reach for was almost level with his eyes. The "coolness" radiating from his controlled cursed energy caused those around him to instinctively huddle closer to him to escape the heat.
"Hmm?" He suddenly whipped his head around, only to find a middle-aged bald man looking at him with confusion. I keep feeling like something is following me.
"Is he a high schooler?" "He's so tall." "And handsome."
"Should we ask for his number?" "Let's go together!"
Two girls behind him were whispering. When Suguru moved toward the door, they could only watch his back with regret as their chance for romance slipped away.
Ding.
The train reached his stop. Suguru adjusted his backpack and stepped off, merging into the crowd and exiting the station, completely unaware of the two missed connections.
"What a long, bitter summer." He shielded his eyes from the sun with his left hand. The distant, lush greenery of the mountains was reflected in his dark eyes. "It should be better in the mountains."
"Woof!"
Hachi poked his head out of the backpack, barking in agreement.
One week ago, following a secret meeting, Hasegumo and Satoru had moved with lightning speed to clear out every curse in the Tokyo area. The others had stayed behind at the school, busy with mysterious preparations.
As soon as Yaga announced a sudden break, only Hasegumo and Suguru remained on campus.
"Suguru, what are you doing for the break?" Hasegumo asked, walking Hachi alongside Suguru.
"That... is a good question," Suguru replied, his voice a bit strained. "Maybe I'll go to the zoo to look at the monkeys?"
"..." Hasegumo was floored by the answer. He wasn't sure if the "monkeys" Suguru was talking about were the ones behind cages or the ones walking on the streets.
But since he was on a mission, he suppressed the urge to quip and kept going. "We've been so busy lately. Now that we finally have some time off, aren't you going to visit your parents?"
"I saw them in the spring. They're doing well." Suguru messed with his hair, deciding a man-bun might be more practical for the heat. "I send money home regularly. They don't have to worry about food or clothes."
"I see..." Plan A was a bust, but Hasegumo wasn't discouraged. "So, besides the zoo... do you have any other plans?"
Suguru turned to look at him, suspicious. Aside from the occasional "otaku" antics with Satoru or training with Haibara, Hasegumo usually kept to himself. He never proactively invited people to do things.
"Is something on your mind?"
"Hehe." Hasegumo gave an awkward laugh. "You really can't hide anything from you, can you? If you aren't going home, I actually have a favor to ask."
Suguru sighed. You had 'I have a secret' written all over your face, how could I not ask? "What is it? Speak up." The two found a pavilion and sat down. "But let me be clear: if it's another convention, I'm not cosplaying. I'll go as a spectator, at most."
"It's not that. We agreed the three of us would move together next time, remember?" Hasegumo assured him. "If we go to a convention, we're taking Satoru. This is about something else."
Hasegumo rubbed his head, acting as if his brain had stalled. "You talk too much, you made me forget what I was going to say."
"Oh! Right, I remember now." Hasegumo got back on track. "Hokkaido. There's a major arcade tournament happening in Hokkaido soon, and I already signed up."
"You? You want to play video games with one hand?" Suguru couldn't help but roast him. "Arcade games require you to use the joystick and the buttons at the same time, don't they?"
"Can't I use my feet?" Hasegumo snapped. Don't interrupt my perfect plan!
"Fine... whatever makes you happy."
"Hachi is getting older. I'm worried he might not have much time left."
"Really? Come to think of it, you haven't been training Haibara much lately. You spend all your free time walking Hachi."
"So, I wanted to ask if you could take Hachi back to my childhood home for a while. The mountain air is great. I want him to see his old home one last time, no matter what happens."
"I see."
"Also, I haven't been back in two years. Could you help me tend to my grandpa's grave? It's right next to the house. I already carved the headstone." Hasegumo put a hand to his forehead. "If you could also kowtow twice for me, I'd really appreciate it."
"You bastard." Suguru was speechless. On one hand, you're sentimental enough to want your dog to see his old home and respectful enough to remember your grandpa. On the other hand, you're ditching the funeral rites to go play video games and asking someone else to bow for you?
"How long do I need to stay?"
"At least a week. Depending on Hachi. If he seems better, stay a few more days. If not, just take him for a walk around the mountain and then come back." Hasegumo, the "unfilial" grandson, didn't seem to see any problem with the arrangement. "Thanks a million! I'll bring back a souvenir. What do you want?"
"An Optimus Prime figure."
"I'm going for The King of Fighters, man! King of Fighters!"
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