Chapter 47 (part 4) — The Day Ends, But Eyes Remain.
Walking Back to Class
The hallway felt strangely calm as Haruya walked between Saeko and Reina.
The bell had already rung, and most students were either hurrying into their classrooms or standing in small groups, talking and laughing. Sunlight filtered through the tall windows, painting long golden stripes across the polished floor. Everything looked normal. Ordinary.
And yet… Haruya couldn't shake the faint feeling that something was a little off.
He wasn't scared. He wasn't uneasy.
Just… awkward.
The kind of awkward you get when a conversation ends weirdly and your brain keeps replaying it even though nothing really happened.
The teacher's face, her gentle smile, the way she spoke softly in the staff room.
It hadn't been strange. Not really.
But it also hadn't been completely normal either.
Haruya shook his head slightly, trying to push the thought away.
"Why am I even thinking about that?" he muttered quietly.
Saeko was walking on his left, hands folded neatly in front of her bag. Her steps were light, almost bouncy. Ever since lunch, she had been in a strangely good mood. Her eyes kept drifting to Haruya for just a moment too long before she looked away again, cheeks faintly pink.
She was thinking about the charm in her bag.
About how he had accepted it.
About how he had smiled when he thanked her.
Her heart still hadn't calmed down.
He liked it… right?
He didn't look uncomfortable… right?
Every few seconds she wanted to glance at him again just to make sure he was still there.
Reina walked on his right, arms loosely folded, her pace steady. On the surface she looked perfectly normal, as sharp and composed as always. But inside, her thoughts were restless.
Something about that staff room moment still bothered her.
Not enough to make a scene.
Not enough to accuse anyone.
Just enough to leave a small, annoying itch in the back of her mind.
Did anything actually happen?
No.
Did Haru look upset?
No.
Then why did it feel… off?
She exhaled quietly.
"I'm overthinking," she told herself. "Again."
Haruya glanced between the two of them, noticing how quiet they were.
"…You guys are acting weird today," he said with a small laugh. "Did something happen?"
Saeko jumped slightly. "E-Eh?! N-No! Nothing happened!"
Reina looked away. "We're just tired."
"Oh," Haruya replied, accepting that easily. "Yeah, today was kind of busy."
He smiled softly, completely unaware of how much attention he drew just by existing.
Saeko relaxed when she saw that smile.
Reina felt her thoughts quiet down just a little.
They kept walking together, blending into the flow of students moving back to class.
From the outside, it looked perfectly normal.
Three students.
One boy.
Two girls.
Just another day at school.
And no one noticed that something small, something invisible, had already begun to change.
---
The Classroom After Lunch
The classroom slowly filled with noise as students returned from lunch.
Chairs scraped against the floor. Bags were dropped beside desks. A few girls laughed loudly near the windows while others compared photos on their phones. The air still smelled faintly of food, mixed with the soft, familiar scent of chalk and old books.
Haruya slid into his seat, placing his bag neatly beside his desk like always. He felt lighter after lunch, a little more relaxed. The strange awkward feeling from earlier was still there, but it had faded into the background, like a half-remembered dream.
Saeko sat just a few rows away. The moment she took her seat, she opened her bag and checked inside.
The charm.
Still there.
She let out a tiny breath of relief.
She had already given one gift today, but somehow, the feeling of having something connected to Haruya still so close made her heart feel warm. Her fingers brushed against the fabric of her bag, and a quiet smile appeared on her lips.
She glanced at Haruya's back.
He was already taking out his notebook, his posture relaxed, focused, gentle.
He always looks so calm…
Even when everything around him is noisy…
Reina, sitting near the window, crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. Her gaze drifted lazily over the classroom, but every few seconds it returned to Haruya.
Girls nearby were whispering again.
"Did you see haruya-sama earlier in the cafeteria?"
"Haruya-sama (｡・//ε//・｡) even cuter in real life than in his modeling photos."
"If I had a little brother like that, I'd never let him leave the house."
Reina clicked her tongue softly.
These girls don't even know much him.
They just see his face and start fantasizing.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, though she didn't say anything out loud. It wasn't worth starting a fight over. Not here. Not now.
Saeko overheard some of the whispers too, and her cheeks grew warm.
They all talk about him like he's some kind of dream…
But they don't know how kind he really is.
She remembered how he had thanked her for the charm. The way he had smiled. The softness in his voice.
Her fingers tightened lightly on her pen.
Haruya, meanwhile, was completely oblivious.
He was just flipping through his textbook, humming quietly under his breath. He noticed the girls talking, of course. He always noticed. But after so long, it had become part of his daily life.
Stares.
Whispers.
Curiosity.
It was just how things were in this world.
He didn't feel uncomfortable. Just… a little tired of being noticed.
He stretched his shoulders slightly and thought, I can't wait for the next game session tonight. At least there, I'm just Haru.
The teacher walked in, calling the class to order.
The class had started, but almost no one was actually focused.
Even the teacher kept pausing mid-sentence, her eyes drifting toward one particular desk before she awkwardly coughed and returned to the board.
"…A-as I was saying… the economic structure of—"
Several girls smirked. Everyone knew why she kept losing her place.
Haruya sat calmly, taking notes like nothing was wrong, completely unaware that half the room, including the teacher, was being distracted by him.
Behind Reina, two girls whispered.
"Even the teacher can't concentrate today…"
"Can you blame her? Look at him…"
Reina's pen clicked once.
Tch.
Saeko stole another shy glance at Haruya's side profile and immediately looked away again, her heart fluttering.
Why does just sitting near him feel so intense…
Haruya felt something strange in the air, like pressure from both sides, but couldn't tell why.
"…Did I do something?" he wondered quietly.
After an hour passed.
The bell rang, saving everyone from their scattered focus.
---
End of School (Nothing Feels Wrong… Yet)
The long, familiar sound echoed through the school halls, signaling the end of another ordinary day.
Students poured out of their classrooms, filling the corridors with chatter, laughter, and the soft chaos of backpacks and footsteps. After everything that had happened during lunch, the rest of the day passed surprisingly quietly for Haruya.
Now, as the sun dipped low outside the tall school windows, Haruya walked toward the gates with Saeko and Reina beside him.
It felt… normal.
Too normal.
"So," Haruya said lightly, adjusting his bag strap, "what are you two doing after this?"
Saeko smiled softly. "I… I was thinking of stopping by a café on the way home. Just to relax."
Reina shrugged. "I've got training later. I can't slack off forever."
Haruya laughed. "You're always intense."
Reina scoffed. "Someone has to be."
Saeko giggled quietly, the tension from lunch already fading into something warm and familiar. The three of them walked together down the long path leading out of the school grounds, the evening air cool and gentle against their skin.
Students passed them, some whispering, some staring, some pretending not to look at Haruya at all.
But Haruya didn't notice.
He was just enjoying the simple moment.
Reina, however, slowed her steps slightly.
Her eyes flicked toward the staff building across the courtyard.
The tall windows reflected the orange glow of the setting sun. The doors were closed. No one was coming in or out. Everything looked peaceful.
Still…
For just a second, she felt it.
That strange, faint pressure.
Like someone had been watching.
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
"…Tch."
She shook her head.
"What's wrong?" Haruya asked.
"Nothing," Reina replied quickly. "Just tired."
Saeko glanced at her. "You sure?"
Reina nodded. "Yeah. I'm just being paranoid."
And she was.
Or at least, that was what she told herself.
The feeling passed as quickly as it had come. The courtyard looked empty. The staff building was quiet. There was no sign of anything unusual.
So Reina walked forward again.
The three of them left the school together, talking about nothing important, laughing softly, the world feeling harmless and ordinary.
None of them noticed the quiet shadow that remained behind.
None of them knew what had already been taken.
A black luxury car arrived, the two bodyguards stepped out, opening the door for him. Saeko and Reina waved as Haruya got in.
"See you tomorrow," Saeko said, smiling brightly.
"Don't be late," Reina added, arms crossed.
"I won't," Haruya replied, smiling back.
The car pulled away.
---
Haru at Home (The Missing Thing)
Haruya entered his room quietly, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
The mansion was calm. Too calm. Only the faint hum of air conditioning filled the space.
He dropped his school bag on the bed and loosened his tie, feeling a small wave of tiredness wash over him. It had been a strange day. Not bad. Not good. Just… heavy in a way he couldn't describe.
He opened his bag.
Notebook.
Tablet.
Lunchbox.
Phone.
Everything was where it should be.
Then his eyes drifted to the zipper.
"…Huh?"
The small charm that usually hung there wasn't there.
Haruya blinked.
He lifted the bag, turning it slightly, checking again. He ran his fingers along the zipper line, then looked on the bed, then on the floor.
Nothing.
"My key chain…"
It was a simple one. Not expensive. Not special. Just something he had been carrying for a long time without thinking about it.
He checked once more inside the bag.
Still nothing.
After a moment, he let out a small sigh and scratched the back of his head.
"I probably dropped it at school."
That was it.
No fear. No suspicion. No drama.
To Haruya, it was just a key chain.
He zipped his bag back up and moved on, already thinking about dinner and tomorrow's classes.
Unaware that something small had just slipped into someone else's hands.
Alright.
Now we move to the real payoff.
This is SCENE 6, where everything you planned comes together.
---
Akari (What He Lost, What She Gained)
The staff room was empty.
The last teacher had already left. The lights were dimmed, and only one corner lamp still glowed faintly, casting long shadows across the desks.
Akari Hoshizuki sat alone.
On the table in front of her lay a small object.
A key chain.
Haruya's key chain.
She stared at it for a long time without touching it, as if it were something fragile, sacred, not meant to be handled carelessly. The metal reflected the weak light. The small charm was slightly warm from having been in his bag all day.
Her lips parted slowly.
"…So this is what you carry with you, Haru…"
Her fingers finally reached out.
Slowly. Gently.
She picked it up between her fingertips, holding it like someone holding a precious relic. The chain made a soft sound as it moved.
Her chest tightened.
This had been with him. In his hands. Against his clothes. Inside his bag.
Something that belonged to him.
Akari brought it closer to her face.
She closed her eyes.
And breathed in.
A soft, shaky inhale.
"…Ah…"
A small sound escaped her lips.
"It smells like you…"
Not perfume.
Not soap.
Not anything special.
Just the faint, quiet scent of Haruya himself.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
For a moment, the calm teacher mask cracked.
Her fingers curled around the charm, gripping it tightly.
"Even when you're not here… you leave pieces of yourself behind…"
She smiled.
Not bright.
Not warm.
Just thin, fragile, and far too deep.
On her desk lay an open notebook.
Inside were pages filled with neat handwriting.
Times.
Places.
Routes.
Schedules.
Little notes.
"Haru leaves school at 4:20."
"He prefers quiet paths."
"He avoids crowded halls."
"He carries his bag on his left side."
And now, one more line was added.
"Personal item acquired."
She wrote it carefully, then set the pen down.
The key chain rested in her palm.
"So careless," she whispered softly. "You drop things so easily… just like your heart."
Akari lifted the chain and pressed it lightly against her cheek.
Warm. Close.
"You don't even realize how much of you I have already…"
Her eyes shimmered with something that looked almost like happiness.
Outside the staff room, the school was quiet.
Students had gone home.
Teachers were gone.
No one was watching.
Only Akari remained.
Holding something Haruya didn't even know he had lost.
And that made it all the more precious.
—To be continued...