THE TRAP.
Kev stood near the school gate, glancing down at his phone. "Message sent," he said quietly.
West stretched his arms behind his head. "Think he'll fall for it?"
"May's idea never fails," Est replied calmly. "Besides teachers respond quickly when they think a student is in trouble."
Ruan stood a few steps away from them, staring at the ground. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, trying to hide the slight tremble in them. His heart felt like it was beating in his throat.
Kev noticed. "You don't have to do this if you're not ready," he said.
Ruan shook his head.
"No," he murmured. "I need to hear it from him and I cant wait for the next time."
West clapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Alright then. But we're not staying."
Ruan looked up.
Est nodded toward the abandoned court. "This is between you and him."
Kev gave Ruan a small smirk. "If he tries anything stupid, shout. We'll be nearby."
Ruan gave a slight smirk, nodding. And with that, the three of them walked away, leaving Ruan alone on the cracked basketball court.
The wind was quiet that evening. Ruan stood under the rusted hoop, staring at the empty entrance of the court. Every second felt longer than the last.
Then, footsteps. Fast ones. Akari appeared at the gate, slightly out of breath as if he had rushed there.
"Where is the student?" he asked immediately.
Then he saw Ruan. He stopped. The realization hit him almost instantly. His expression hardened.
"You tricked me."
Ruan didn't respond.
Akari let out a short breath through his nose. "Unbelievable."
He turned around immediately. "I don't have time for childish games."
"Akari." Ruan called softly.
The name stopped him. But he didn't turn around.
"Don't pull these tricks on me," he said coldly. "Whatever you want to say, there's no point anymore."
He started walking away again. Ruan moved quickly and stepped in front of him.
"You're lying."
Akari's eyes narrowed slightly. "Move."
"No."
For a moment, neither of them moved. The air between them felt tense and heavy.
"You can pretend all you want," Ruan said quietly, "but I know you."
Akari looked away. "You don't know anything."
"Then explain it."
"There's nothing to explain." Akari insisted.
Ruan felt his frustration rising.
"You broke up with me like I meant nothing," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "You didn't even look at me."
Akari stayed silent. That silence hurt more than anything.
Ruan stepped closer. "You're a terrible liar. You know that?"
Akari's jaw tightened. "I did what was necessary."
"For who?" Ruan asked immediately.
No answer.
Ruan searched his face.
"You came here," he said softly. "You rushed here."
Akari frowned slightly.
"You wouldn't have come if you didn't still care." Ruan continued.
"That's not the point." Akari deterred.
"Then what is the point?" Ruan said with a sad chuckle.
Akari ran a hand through his hair, clearly losing patience.
"You shouldn't have come here," Akari muttered.
Ruan laughed bitterly. "You're the one who came."
"Remember you tricked me. So i came here unwillingly."
"But willingly you stayed." Ruan answered quickly.
The words hit harder than Akari expected. For a moment, his composure slipped.
Ruan saw it. And he pushed further. "You promised you wouldn't leave me like that."
Akari froze. The memory of that promise flashed through his mind. He tried to regain control of himself, but the pressure was building.
"This isn't about promises," he said quietly.
"Then tell me what it's about." Ruan's voice cracked slightly. "Because I know you, Akari. You wouldn't just leave like that unless something forced you to."
Akari looked away again. His shoulders slowly dropped. For several seconds, the only sound was the faint wind moving through the fence.
Then he finally spoke. "She has a video. Lumi"
Ruan's chest tightened.
"A video… of us," Akari continued his voice heavy.
Ruan felt his stomach sink.
"If I didn't end things with you," Akari said quietly, "she said she would release it."
The words hung in the air. Akari laughed softly, but there was no humour in it.
"You're a student," he said. "I'm a teacher. What do you think would happen if that video got out?"
Ruan didn't answer.
Akari looked exhausted now, like the weight he had been carrying was finally crushing him.
"I would lose my job," he continued. "You'd become the centre of every rumour in this school." His voice softened slightly. "So yes… I ended it. Satisfied ow?"
He looked directly at Ruan for the first time since arriving. "It was the only way to protect you." He said his pointer finger poking Ruan's chest.
The truth finally sat between them, heavy and undeniable. The truth hung in the air between them.
Ruan felt like the ground beneath him had shifted. Part of him had expected something like this… but hearing it directly from Akari still hurt.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. A gust of wind.
Ruan finally broke the silence. "So that's it?" he said quietly. "You just decided everything on your own?"
Akari frowned slightly. "It wasn't that simple."
"You didn't even give me a chance to stand beside you," Ruan continued, his voice tightening. "You just… pushed me away like I didn't matter."
"That's not true."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
Akari opened his mouth, but no words came out. Because the answer was simple. He had been afraid.
Ruan stepped closer, his eyes searching Akari's face. "You thought I would run away?" he asked softly.
Akari shook his head. "Worse than that."
"What?"
Akari looked away again, his voice quieter now. "I thought you'd try to stay."
Ruan blinked.
"And if you stayed… everything would collapse." Akari added.
The confession sounded fragile coming from him.
Ruan let out a slow breath.
"You idiot," he muttered.
Akari looked up, surprised.
"You think I would leave just because things got hard?" Ruan said, frustration creeping into his voice. "You think I'm that weak?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Then why?"
Akari's composure was slipping now. The calm, controlled teacher mask he always wore was starting to crack.
"I meant," He said slowly, "that you deserve a normal life."
Ruan stared at him.
Akari went on, "A normal relationship. Someone your own age. Someone you don't have to hide." His voice dropped lower. "Not someone like me."
Ruan felt something twist painfully in his chest.
"You don't get to decide that for me," he said quietly.
Akari shook his head again, almost helplessly.
Akari pursed his lips, "You don't understand the consequences."
"Then face them...with me!" Ruan insisted his words firm and ground. The words came out stronger than Ruan intended.
Akari froze.
Ruan stepped even closer now, close enough that their voices barely needed to rise above a whisper.
"You didn't break up with me because you stopped loving me," Ruan said softly.
Akari's breathing faltered.
"You broke up with me because you were scared." Ruan continued.
That was the final crack.
Akari covered his face with one hand, letting out a long breath as if the strength holding him together had finally run out.
"You think I wanted to leave you?" he said quietly. His voice sounded raw now. "For days I kept thinking… maybe I should ignore it. Maybe she wouldn't actually do it."
His hand slowly dropped from his face. "But she looked me straight in the eyes and said she would ruin the both of us." The bitterness in his voice was clear. "I couldn't take that risk."
Ruan felt his anger fading, replaced by something heavier.
Pain.
Akari laughed softly again, though it sounded closer to defeat.
"I thought if I pushed you away hard enough… you'd hate me." His eyes finally met Ruan's again. "But instead you came looking for answers."
For the first time since they arrived, the distance between them felt fragile. Akari looked tired. Not just physically. Emotionally.
And suddenly the strong, composed teacher that everyone respected looked like someone who had simply been trying to carry too much alone.
Ruan stepped closer.
Akari didn't step back this time.
"I said it and I'm gonna say it again, I wont give up on you that easily. Ok?" Ruan said quietly, placing his hands on Akari's fair cheeks, wiping the tears with his fingers.
Akari closed his eyes for a moment to feel the long lost touch he missed for weeks. The fight inside him was finally over. When he opened them again, the cold distance he had been forcing was gone.
"You're making this very hard," Akari admitted softly.
Ruan's voice was almost gentle now.
"Good." Ruan said then hugged Akari tightly like never before.
And for the first time in weeks, the walls Akari had built around himself had finally fallen apart.
But what about Lumi?