The corridor buzzed with energy, students spilling from one classroom to the next like a river of voices, footsteps, and half-finished conversations. Chiaki leaned against the wall near the classroom door, arms crossed loosely, his eyes subtly tracking a particular figure as she walked by. Kayo Takayama—long, dark hair bouncing slightly with every step, school bag slung lazily over one shoulder, a mysterious air around her that felt hard to ignore.
Syouta, standing beside him with his usual playful smirk, followed Chiaki's gaze and nudged him lightly with an elbow.
"You have good taste, bro. However, I don't think that a girl like her would be single."
Chiaki blinked, slightly caught off guard. "You think she's seeing someone?"
Syouta shrugged and folded his arms. "Yes. When has a girl as pretty as her not had a boyfriend? Remember Lara? First time I met her, I swore she was single—turned out she was dating a guy two years older."
Chiaki didn't respond right away. He watched Kayo round the corner, disappearing from sight. Something about her intrigued him—quiet, cool, maybe even aloof. But there was something else too.
"I see," he finally murmured.
Syouta sighed dramatically. "Nowadays, all the good girls are taken, and we're left picking scraps. Like that girl over there." He jerked his thumb casually toward a girl chewing gum loudly and scrolling on her phone. "Not trying to crush your dreams, man. Just looking out for you so you don't hurt yourself in the process."
Chiaki frowned. "I didn't say I wanted to be in a relationship with her. I was just curious. Jeez."
The bell rang, cutting their conversation short.
"Jun!" Syouta called out as their classmate jogged past. "See you guys later, I've got a class to get to."
"I guess I should be heading out too. Don't wanna be late," Syouta added. "See you later, bro."
"Yeah," Chiaki replied, his voice trailing off.
As he stepped inside the classroom, he caught one last glimpse of Kayo leaving through the opposite door. Her posture was relaxed, hands tucked into the sleeves of her cardigan. There was something about the way she carried herself—confident, but not attention-seeking.
Kayo Takayama, huh, Chiaki thought.
"Good morning, everyone," Takenaka-sensei's voice broke through the low hum of the classroom.
"Good morning, Sensei," the class responded in unison.
"Minoru, please help me set up the projector."
"Yes, Sensei," the tall boy near the front replied.
Takenaka-sensei turned, scanning the classroom. Her eyes landed on Chiaki.
"Oh, Chiaki. Is that you?"
Chiaki instinctively grabbed the nearest book and held it up, partially shielding his face.
"I haven't seen you in two months now. How have you been?"
"I have been well, Takenaka-sensei."
"I see. That's good. But you do know you're far behind in your studies, right?"
"Yeah, I know. I'll catch up eventually."
"I'll take your word for it. We'll talk after class."
"Yes."
"Alright," she said, clapping her hands once. "Let's begin the lesson."
She turned to the chalkboard, writing down two equations in clean, practiced strokes.
Equation 1: 3x + 4y = 25
Equation 2: 2x + 3y = 18
"Now, using the methods we reviewed yesterday, who wants to come up here and solve this set?"
A few murmurs rippled through the class.
"Please don't choose me to do it," Kohana whispered to herself.
"I don't know what the hell is that on the board," Denji muttered under his breath. "How do I even find x and y?"
Chiaki raised his hand.
"I'll give it a try."
"Okay, go ahead," Takenaka-sensei said, surprised but encouraging.
Chiaki walked to the front of the class with quiet confidence. He picked up the chalk and began working through the system of equations.
He multiplied both equations to align the coefficients for elimination. Equation 1 was multiplied by 3, and Equation 2 by 4, making them:
9x + 12y = 75
8x + 12y = 72
He subtracted the second equation from the first.
x = 3
Then he plugged it back into the original equation.
3(3) + 4y = 25
9 + 4y = 25
4y = 16
y = 4
"So x equals three, and y equals four."
Takenaka-sensei smiled. "That's correct. Well done, Chiaki."
The classroom buzzed with murmurs of surprise.
"What?" Kohana blinked. "He actually got it right? Wasn't he absent for two months? How does he know how to do it?"
Takenaka-sensei nodded. "Alright, I'm going to give a few more equations for class activity."
"Sensei," Denji raised his hand weakly. "Is the work graded?"
"Yes, it is," she replied without hesitation.
A collective groan filled the room.
"Oh, come on…"
Soon, pencils scratched against notebooks, the room falling into a focused silence—except for the occasional sigh or curse from Denji.
"Time's up," Takenaka-sensei finally said. "Hand your book to the person in front of you."
Books shuffled from hand to hand.
"You'll get your grades tomorrow."
The bell rang again.
"You guys can leave now. Chiaki, come with me to my desk."
Chiaki followed her to the front as the rest of the class poured out. She placed a stack of notebooks on the desk and looked at him seriously.
"So… what happened? Why weren't you coming to school?"
Chiaki looked down, fingers brushing the edge of her desk. "To be honest… I don't really know. After basketball season ended, I just lost all motivation to attend school at all."
"But it's your final year," Takenaka-sensei said gently. "It determines the university you'll go to—or the jobs you'll be offered."
"I know. Which is why I'm back now."
"For the rest of the semester, right?"
"Yes, Sensei."
"Okay, good. Also, great job on the equations today. You got a perfect score despite being gone."
"Thank you. My intellect scares me sometimes."
She chuckled. "You sure kept up with the syllabus despite being absent. You're even more consistent than some of the students who were here."
"I tried my best not to be left behind."
"I see. Take care now, Chiaki. Go attend your other classes."
The next bell rang. Chiaki made his way to the cafeteria, joining the shuffling line of hungry students.
"Give me three melon bread and a lime juice, please."
"Here you go," the cafeteria lady said, handing over the items.
"Thanks."
With lunch in hand, Chiaki walked back to his homeroom class. As he pushed open the door, the familiar smell of floor polish and chalk dust greeted him—but something else caught his attention immediately.
Kayo was sitting alone near the window, a game console in her hands, the soft beeping and clicking of buttons echoing faintly in the empty room. Her expression was focused, eyes slightly narrowed, the sunlight catching the edge of her jawline.
Chiaki blinked, then slowly stepped inside.
I haven't had melon bread for a very long time. I can't wait to dig in…
His gaze shifted back to her.
She's playing a video game? Huh… I didn't see that coming.