Part 7: Between Student and Sensei
Daigo turned toward the door.
"Sensei," Haruto said quickly.
Daigo paused.
"I want to ask you something… personally," Haruto continued. "Can I come?"
Daigo looked back at him, expression gentle. "Of course."
He slid the door open. "Come on."
Haruto followed him out.
The door closed softly behind them.
The teachers' lounge was quiet.
Daigo slid the door shut behind them and gestured toward a chair.
"Sit, Haruto."
Haruto did, hands resting stiffly on his knees.
Daigo turned to the cabinet along the wall, opening a few drawers, quietly searching for something. Papers shifted. Glass clinked softly.
"Sensei," Haruto said.
Daigo paused but didn't turn. "Yeah?"
"…I need help."
Daigo closed the cabinet and faced him. "With what?"
Haruto swallowed. "I'll only tell you… if I can trust you."
That made Daigo stop.
He studied Haruto for a moment, then pulled a chair over and sat down in front of him, elbows resting loosely on his knees.
"How far do you think you can trust me?" Daigo asked calmly.
Haruto looked away.
"I don't know," he admitted. "That's why I'm asking."
Daigo didn't rush him.
"You don't have to decide right now," he said. "Trust isn't something you force. It's something you build."
Haruto clenched his fists.
"What if," he said slowly, "telling someone changes everything?"
Daigo's expression softened. "Then it means it mattered."
Haruto's fingers tightened.
"…What if," he said slowly, voice shaking, "I say I need help to save someone?"
Daigo's expression changed—not shocked, not confused.
It was the look of someone who already knew.
Haruto noticed it instantly.
He knows, Haruto thought. He knows what I'm talking about.
Daigo leaned forward. "Haruto, see—"
Haruto's heart sank further.
Daigo spoke gently. "You don't need to take everything so seriously. I know how you are. You give priority to your friends. You don't want them getting hurt."
Haruto's eyes flickered.
"But if bullies didn't exist in academies," Daigo continued calmly, "who would stand up? No one would learn how to face things. Everything is interconnected."
Haruto froze.
That wasn't what he expected.
"…Sensei," he said quietly, "it's not that."
Daigo paused.
"It's about someone's life."
Daigo's expression shifted instantly.
The lightness vanished.
Haruto's voice broke. "I don't know who to trust. If I tell anyone, they'll say I'm just dreaming. That it's a nightmare."
His fists clenched. "But not every nightmare is false. And not every nightmare is unreal."
Tears slipped down his face.
"Some nightmares… come true."
Before Haruto could pull away, Daigo stood and pulled him into a firm hug.
Haruto stiffened—then broke.
Daigo spoke softly, close to his ear.
"You don't have to carry this alone."
He pulled back just enough to look at Haruto.
"But if you speak in fragments like this, I won't understand. Tell me what's really going on."
"I'll see if I can do something," Daigo said honestly. "But only if you tell me."
He released him.
Haruto wiped his face, breathing unevenly.
"…You're right, sensei."
He stood up.
"But I don't think," he said quietly, "I can trust you… in that way."
Haruto turned and walked out.
The door slid shut.
Daigo didn't move.
His expression had lost all warmth—replaced by something sharp, serious, and deeply unsettled.
Haruto stood outside the classroom for a moment, taking a deep breath.
Slowly, he raised a hand and wiped the tears from his cheeks, blinking hard to steady himself.
Then, he pushed the door open.
He froze.
The classroom looked… different.
Class 2 students were seated on the left, murmuring quietly, some glancing toward him. Class 1 was on the right, familiar faces watching curiously.
The layout hit him all at once. The classes had already been merged.
He stepped further in, shoulders stiff.
Then—a firm, gentle hand landed on his shoulder.
Haruto flinched slightly, looking up.
"Take a seat," Daigo said, his voice calm but steady.
Haruto exhaled slowly and moved toward a familiar spot, sitting down beside Amaya.
Amaya looked at him, mock indignation in her eyes. "You finally decided to sit beside me? I thought you'd never want to," she teased.
Haruto smirked faintly. "C'mon," he said, shrugging.
Amaya laughed softly. "Just kidding," she said, nudging him lightly with her elbow.
Once they settled, Haruto's gaze drifted across the room, taking in the merged classroom and the Class 2 students quietly observing.
Yuna leaned over from the Class 1 side. "Sensei… why is Class 2 here?" she asked, curiosity in her voice.
Daigo smiled faintly. "From today, both classes will learn together," he explained. "It's part of the academy's plan moving forward."
Haruto glanced around again, taking in the merged classroom, still feeling the weight of everything that had happened earlier.